Tiara And Graham's Reflections
by Salt-the-Catgirl
Summary: PG13 BC I'm unscertain what's to come later. Full summary inside. Suppose that when Kagetsu and Graham fought each other, Kagetsu didn’t really kill Graham, but instead, sent him back to his own world. Would everything in Graham’s world be like he r
1. Default Chapter

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 1_

_Summary:_Suppose that when Kagetsu and Graham fought each other, Kagetsu didn't really kill Graham, but instead, sent him back to his own world. Would everything in Graham's world be like he remembered it...? Would he even remember it? Would he return in the form he'd had before entering Tiara's world, or would his disfigured form in her world be just as he originally looked had she healed him? Would he have retained the powers he'd received in Tiara's world, and if so, would those around him accept him back or find him even more frightening than he'd thought he was in Tiara's world? What if Tiara came back from recovering the Throne of Yord and began to think back on Graham, suppose she suddenly realized the horrible truth behind the summoning of a partner and she decided to leave her world forever? Would their paths eventually cross over again?

_Author's Note:_I do not own Shamanic Princess nor any of its characters, so this whole thing is just for fun. I'm open to any and all opinions on this story, including flames, I guess. This is the second fic I've tried to write based on the thought of Graham simply being returned to his own world. But I lost the first half of it and I'm afraid got rid of the correct rating category for it. And this is the only Shamanic Princess fic I've ever written by myself.

_**Part 1:**_

_**Graham's Reflections**_

Graham sat alone in a small wooden shack starring blankly at the golden arm bracer on the table in front of him. As he sat looking at the item, his thoughts returned to Tiara and whether he liked it or not, he couldn't hold back the tears. "If only she'd allowed me to make things right with her that night. Perhaps, I would still be there with her now," he sighed.

He continued starring at the bracer for a moment, then growled angrily and knocked it off the table. "Why can't I bring myself to hate her!? I feared her when I first entered her world, but her persistence and courage made me feel more comfortable with her, but my life has been miserable, ever since I was pulled out of this world into hers..."

Graham sighed and stood up. "The fight with Kagetsu...? The last thing I remember about it was the searing pain rushing through my body when he grabbed my chest. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and was back in this world, lying in a bed, surrounded by others. They all looked familiar, but I couldn't place a name with any of their faces. As a matter of fact, when they called me by my real name, I told them that wasn't my name. I told them my name was Graham... Apparently, I'd forgotten, not only everyone around me, but my own name as well. Everyone told me that they'd been searching for me, for much longer than I had realized I'd been with Tiara and that when they'd found me, I was laying at the bottom of a steep ravine. They said that I must have hit my head hard and caught amnesia, that Tiara and her world were all just a bad dream..."

He turned and looked in a mirror and sighed, as his wolf-like ears flickered. "I wasn't like this in her world. I had human ears... But, I'd seen my reflection in the water of one of the rivers in Tiara's world. My face... While half of it was covered with that accursed mask, the other half was perfectly fine. Looking at myself in the mirror, had she taken the time to heal my deformities that had come to me while passing through worlds, I would have looked the same as I do now," Graham sighed at the very thought. "She never would have thought me ugly and horrifying then. Sometimes I think I never really meant anything to her, and yet, I still can't bring myself to hate her for her actions."

"A dream, they said...?" he thought to himself, as he turned back to look at the golden arm bracer. "That's what they said, but when I asked them to show me where they found me, this was laying on the ground in a bush, right beside where they found my body." He turns and looks at the dresser under the mirror, his eyes grow harsh and narrow starring at the top drawer. "And so was that horrible mask. I kept them as proof that I was there, but I can't stand to look at that mask any more. Perhaps I should take them and melt them down. If I had a picture of Tiara, I'd have them both turned into a statue of her. At least then I probably wouldn't feel so alone in this world."

He turns and glances out the window. Far down the path, just barely in sight, there stood another house, it looked as though a rich family lived in it. Graham growled again and slammed the shutters to the window closed. "If it were just a bad dream, then why did you throw me out!?" he shouted as the shutters slammed. He jumped away from the window and glared at it. "Apparently, I came from a rich family of humanoid wolves with an extensive ranch... When the youngest daughter was out playing, only a couple of days after I came back, something spooked some of the cattle they raise and started a stampede." Graham looked down at what had been his good arm while in Tiara's world and it disfigured itself, turning into whip-like tentacles. "I rushed out to pull the girl away from the on coming cattle. As I did, I over heard someone mention that I seemed much faster than I had been before my disappearance. When I grabbed the girl and pulled her out of harms way, I tried to restrain the frightened cattle in order to prevent any other risks." He sighed. "Without even trying to make it do so, my arm turned into this. I managed to slow down and stop the herd. When I turned back and looked, the girl was crying in fear and two of the older children came running out to grab her. One started to complement me on having become stronger, until he saw this."

Graham sighed and his arm returned to normal. He looked back up at the window and sighed again, lowering his head and closing his eyes. "It frightened them. The girl wasn't crying because she was afraid of what would have happened to her if I hadn't come to the rescue, but because of what she saw happen when I did rescue her." He looks back up to the house. "Some parents they were, then...?" He went back to the window and opened it again, but only slightly. "My father would have thrown me out completely in fear. But, my mother, and one of my sisters stood up against him. They were afraid of me as well, but after all the trouble they'd gone through to find me, they refused to allow him to throw me out with no where to go. They convinced him to at least allow me to stay in the old ranch hand shack." He pulled the shutter back shut. "But, I'm not allowed any where near the house, and have to fend for myself for food. I would have been better off if Kagetsu had killed me, rather than sending me back to my own world."

Graham heaved a heavy, disheartened sigh and sat down on the bed. The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts returned to Tiara's few acts of kindness while he was with her. Most of the time, her eyes had been harsh and cold when she looked at him after he'd disappointed her. But the night of their last assignment together, he'd noticed a slight difference in her eyes. It was the only time he could remember feeling the touch of her flesh after that day she'd sealed away her shadow. He could still feel her soft hand gently caressing his cheek, as she turned him to face her and told him that she wasn't angry with him for getting carried away. "She was so stern with me at first. But, after she'd scolded me, maybe she could tell that I was upset about it, because her whole attitude changed. She tried to tell me it wasn't my fault. When the elder punished her for it, I became a bit irrational, perhaps the elder was the one I should have turned my anger on that day, instead of Kagetsu. I should have been held responsible, not her." As he lay there thinking about it, he slid under the covers and told himself to stop. He told himself he needed to forget everything about her and start over. Perhaps leave the place all together, no body would miss him, and go somewhere where nobody knew anything about him. As he thought about doing just that, sleep over took him. Unfortunately, his dreams brought no comfort, either. Every night, since he'd returned to his own world, all his dreams had been about Tiara, and what could have been between them had Kagetsu never been in the way.

_**Part 2:**_

_**Tiara's Reflections**_

Tiara rolled over in the bed, and moaned softly. She opened her eyes, to find a tear rolling down her cheek. "Graham...? Why...? Why did I suddenly dream about him?" She looked up and saw Japolo curled up on the bookshelf and fast asleep. She sighed and glared at Japolo for a moment. "Sometimes I wonder why you couldn't be as obedient as Graham was," she thought.

She sighed and sat up, tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I was so foolish. He was only trying to make me happy. He knew Kagetsu was up to something, and I wouldn't listen to him." She turned and lifted up her pillow, pulling out the jewel from Graham's mask. "I've kept this with me the whole time. This was what spurned me on to capture Kagetsu and return the Throne of Yord. I understand full and well that Kagetsu was trying to help Sarah, and under the circumstances, Kagetsu had every right to fight back against Graham in self defense, but he had no right to kill him!"

Tiara's eyes grew wide and sad. She began to sob quietly. "Graham... I wish you were still here with me. All you cared about was my well being, and I was too stubborn to accept your concern. You were turning out to be a great partner, too. That night I threw you out. You spent the entire night in the rain, and I could hear your cries from outside. I began to hate myself for how I'd treated you, and wanted to go tell you to come back inside, that everything would be fine. But, my stubborn pride wouldn't allow me to do so. I convinced myself that you deserved to be punished, and that allowing you back inside then would never teach you anything."

Tiara whipped a tear away from her eye and looked at the jewel. "I wanted to find you and apologize the next morning, but you were nowhere to be seen. Before I found you, I ran into Kagetsu, and it made me feel as though what I'd done had been justified. You came just before the Wind Festival began, so I didn't really have the chance, nor the time to give you a real apology. If only you hadn't chased after Kagetsu... If only Kagetsu hadn't... If you had still been there after the Festival, then..." She began to sob again and found it hard to speak.

She buried her head into her knees and continued crying, squeezing the jewel tightly. After a few minutes, she raised her head and took a deep breath, regaining her strength to talk, she looked back at the jewel. "I wanted to find you after the Festival and give you a real, heart felt apology. Someone told me they'd seen you following Kagetsu, and where they thought Kagetsu had headed. But I was too late. When I got there, Kagetsu was gone, and so where you. This... This jewel is all I have to remember you by. I... I... I wanted so badly to make up for what I'd done to you. I was the only one in this world you seemed to trust, and yet, I'm the one who hurt you the most. I couldn't even make peace with you before Kagetsu took you away from me."

She held the jewel tightly in both hands and pushed it against her cheek. "Even though I knew Kagetsu wanted to rescue Sarah, my feelings towards him became harsh after I'd found what he'd done to you." She opened her eyes, feeling the cold jewel against her flesh and her eyes grew wide, as Graham's voice rang though her head.

She heard them, the words he'd said that night she'd thrown him out into the rain, as if he were standing right there in the room, repeating them. That even though the pain and blood were all fake, he could still feel them, and he'd thanked her for his disfigured body. The look on his face when he said that suddenly flashed into her mind. Her eyes grew even wider in realization. "Oh Graham... Is, is that what you thought? Now I really do wish you were here. I was never frightened of your form. That's not why I looked at you with fear that night."

She dropped the jewel and said out loud. "It wasn't that at all! I was torn. I'd been in love with Kagetsu for so long, I was afraid of my feelings for him changing... But during the few days I'd had you as a partner... My heart began to waver. You attacked Kagetsu, thinking HIS behavior was what was upsetting me..."

She grabbed her nightgown, clutching at her heart. It began to hurt. "Graham. What did I do to you? I can't blame Kagetsu, but I can't blame you, either. I'm the one to blame." The tears returned to her eyes. "I wish I could see you again and make you understand, Graham. If you're floating around in the spirit realm, I hope you can hear me...? I was torn between you and Kagetsu. The way you cared about me was so flattering, I began to wonder about the confidence in where my heart really lied. I was beginning to fall in love with you, but when I saw Kagetsu, I was uncertain about my feelings for either of you. That's why... That's why I looked at you the way I did that night. I was frightened of what would happen if I'd let you any closer to me."

She sobbed and fell over on the bed, still holding her hand over her heart. It was pounding fast. "I knew you cared, but... My feelings for Kagetsu almost made me completely over look your feelings."

She sat up, suddenly realizing something. "What have I done!?" She shook her head and looked over at Japolo, whom she was relieved to find she hadn't woken up with all her commotion. "Lena and I both did it...!" she shouted in realization, jumping out of the bed and rushing out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. "The summons... Why didn't I ever realize it before now!? When I summoned Japolo I gave her (him-which ever) a personality and free will of her own. I shouldn't complain about how annoying she gets with her criticism, I gave her the one thing you didn't have."

Tiara went to the stove and grabbed her tea kettle, filling it with water and a bag of her favorite tea flavor. "I never thought about how horrible the summons is to the partner. Japolo came here without a misshapen form, and her own personality. You were my first attempt, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring you here in your true form, and when the shock hit you, you lost everything. It wasn't until the day I sealed my shadow that you began to behave as though you had a soul or spirit inside you."

She sat the kettle on the stove and turned it on, then sat at the table. "What were we thinking? I summoned you, without a true will of your own. When you finally began to react, all you knew was to protect me and do as I told you. In my fear of loosing my feelings for Kagetsu, I tried to push you away. I was doing something with you I didn't have the right to do. I was playing with your heart. I was playing with your life. It never occurred to me until now, but... I didn't treat you like a friend or a partner. I was playing god. You were more of a servant or a slave than anything. I should have been more open with you."

Tiara got up and went back to the bedroom. She looked up to see Japolo hadn't budged. She sighed and smiled. "Sometimes, Japolo, I think you could sleep through anything." She gently picked Japolo up and set her on the pillow on the bed.

She sighed and took the jewel in her hands and returned to the kitchen. She looked at the jewel again. "Graham... When will this feeling of guilt leave me? I feel even more guilty now that I realize what I was doing."

The tea kettle began to squeal. Tiara sat the jewel on the table and ran into the kitchen to turn the burner on the stove off and pour herself a coup of tea. She fixed it as she preferred it and returned to the table. She sat and looked at the jewel again and sighed. "Perhaps Lena and Leon should thank me for retrieving the Throne of Yord. They haven't decided how to punish either of them, or Kagetsu yet. Maybe Lena will be banished. Hopefully along with Leon. They don't deserve to go through what you and I did."

Tiara took a sip as a flash of Leon's face came into her mind. "That look in his eyes. Is it some unwritten rule that all humanoid partners will be the opposite sex and fall madly in love with their summoner? If so, then Leon owes me greatly for bringing Kagetsu to justice. Lena was doing the same thing to him. She'd fought over Kagetsu with me for years. She ignores Leon's feelings, if he makes them obvious, anyway. Perhaps he keeps them to himself, but I could tell by the way he looked at her he loved her. Perhaps, if things had been allowed to continue as they were, Leon would have suffered the same fate as Graham? But then again, Lena probably would have destroyed Leon with her own hands, before Kagetsu had the chance, had he tried anything."

Tiara sighed. "I hope they don't get separated. Maybe Lena will realize her mistake and fix it. We're gifted with these powers, but if we continue treating our partners in such manners, then we don't deserve them!"

She sniffled a little. "I was torn between two men, couldn't decide which one I cared for the most... My best friend was 'sacrificed' to a painting in order to continue giving power to this world. One of the men I loved is gone, and the other is to stand trail in order to decide his punishment for stealing the picture... Why I never realized how corrupt this power was before now, I'll never understand... But, knowing what I know now, I CAN'T go on living in this world..."

She looked at the jewel again and sighed. She picked up her tea cup and took it to her lips, but before drinking, she took another quick glance at Graham's jewel. "Graham... I've decided!"

She swallowed the last of her tea in one quick gulp and slammed the cup back on the table, scooping the jewel back into her hands. "Every so often, I do have dreams about you. This whole thing with tracking down Kagetsu. You continued to enter my mind. My dreams sometimes make it seem as if Kagetsu never really killed you at all."

She stood up and went back into the bed room and began to search through her jewelry box. She found a golden chain and an old charm holder/plate that had lost its stone. She held the jewel to the plate and smiled. "Perfect." She reached into the top dresser drawer and pulled out a thing of super glue and returned with all four items to the table. She glued the jewel into the plate, then looped the chain through the hole at the top. "I've decided, I can't stay here any more. I may never see you again, Graham, but... But this world holds too many bad memories for me now. I'll wait until Japolo wakes up. I won't abandon her. I'll try to be better partners with her than with you. I can at least do that much to make it up to you for what I've done. Also, the jewel from your mask... I made it a necklace which I promise never to take off. That way, I'll always have a little piece of you with me."

Tiara sighed, looking into the mirror in the hallway, as she finishes hooking the necklace around her neck. "There's nothing left for me in this world. It's time I start to look for somewhere better." She sighed and returned to her bedroom. She changed out of her nightgown and drug out her suit case. She packed a few clothes, a couple of books, her tea pot, and all of her unused tea bags. She also packed a few of Japolo's favorite foods to take along.

When Japolo woke up, Tiara explained everything that had happened the night before, turned and grabbed two blankets and a pillow out of the closet and pushed them into the suit case, latching it tight. "We're traveling light. And I'm glad you woke up when you did. I want out of here before the sun comes up."

Japolo looked at her inquisitively. "But Tiara," Japolo opposed, "Aren't you supposed to be a witness in the trail against Kagetsu?"

Tiara looked at Japolo, scowling for a moment, then sighed. "That's EXACTLY why I want out of here now! I can't stay another moment in this world. Kagetsu's put me through enough heartache. I can't see him again before I leave. But, if I leave now, not only will I be able to go where nobody can find me, but... I won't have any second thoughts, and I'll actually be doing all three of them a favor." She carries the suit case into the dinning room and stops. She sets it down on the floor and pulls something out of her pocket and sits it on the table. "Someone will come looking for us when I don't show up. This letter is addressed to be seen by Lena only. Maybe when she reads it, she'll realize she's made the same mistakes I have. Maybe she can make up with Leon before it's too late for them."

She turned back and picked up the suit case. "Alright, Japolo, let's go! There's several worlds out there waiting for us. I'm sure we can start with a clean slate, somewhere."

Japolo sighed and nodded. "Alright, Tiara," she said as she jumped on Tiara's shoulder. Tiara smiled and started to open a portal between their world and another. Once they jumped in, Japolo looked down, feeling something cold against her foot. "Hmmm...?" She sees the jewel hanging on Tiara's necklace. Tiara had kept the jewel hidden so well, that this was the first time Japolo had ever seen it. "My, what a beautiful jewel, Tiara. Where did you get it?"

Tiara looked over at Japolo. "Huh...?" She looked down at the jewel and smiled, gently clasping it in her free hand. "Oh... This...?" her voice was visually shaky. She smiled and looked back up at Japolo. "It's something very special. It belonged to my first partner. If it wasn't for this... I don't think I would have ever realized the truth of what was going on under my nose. I don't think I'd have the courage to leave if I didn't have it with me."


	2. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 2

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 2_

Summary:Suppose that when Kagetsu and Graham fought each other, Kagetsu didn't really kill Graham, but instead, sent him back to his own world. Would everything in Graham's world be like he remembered it...? Would he even remember it? Would he return in the form he'd had before entering Tiara's world, or would his disfigured form in her world be just as he originally looked had she healed him? Would he have retained the powers he'd received in Tiara's world, and if so, would those around him accept him back or find him even more frightening than he'd thought he was in Tiara's world? What if Tiara came back from recovering the Throne of Yord and began to think back on Graham, suppose she suddenly realized the horrible truth behind the summoning of a partner and she decided to leave her world for ever? Would their paths eventually cross over again? Oh, and by the way, I added an extra little tidbit for Lena & Leon Fans in this one. 3

Author's Note:I do not own Shamanic Princess nor any of its characters, so this whole thing is just for fun. I'm open to any and all opinions on this story, including flames, I guess. This is the second fic I've tried to write based on the thought of Graham simply being returned to his own world. But I lost the first half of it and I'm afraid got rid of the correct rating category for it. And this is the only Shamanic Princess fic I've ever written by myself.

Graham fidgeted with a small suit case, stuffing a few things inside it. He refused to take very much with him. He figured one or two changes of clothes and the sheets off the bed would hold him until he got somewhere far away from anyone who knew anything about him. But the hardest decision for him to make was whether or not to take the mask and or the arm bracer with him. He looked down at the arm bracer. It was still laying in the floor, where he'd slung it the night before. "They're all I have to remind me of her and her world...?" he thought out loud. He shook his head. "No! I won't take them with me. I said I was going to start over, and I intend to do so, even if it means forgetting about Tiara! If I continue to cling to the feelings I had for her, I'll never get anywhere in this world."

That being said, Graham latched the suit case shut and started to leave the shack. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked up, surprised to see someone standing there. "What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously.

"I... I heard a bit of commotion out here last night," a young wolf girl answered nervously. "I was wondering if everything was ok?"

Graham snorted at her and turned to look at the mansion down the way. "I thought everyone in the house was forbidden to come out here?" He looked back at her. "Do they know where you are?"

She shakes her head. "No. They don't know I'm out here," she answered. "I could care less if they caught me, though."

"And why is that?" Graham asked.

"Because," she said. "I don't think it's fair. You disappear for months, and when we finally find you, they throw you out into the shack just because you have a few abilities they're not use to seeing!? I don't think it's fair at all. You're the oldest son, and the rightful heir to the entire estate, but just because you've picked up some new trick with your arm, they're afraid to come within more than ten feet of you."

"Aren't you afraid too?" Graham asked.

She took a step back and a deep breath. "To be honest, I'm horrified of the thought of it myself. But I still think it's unfair to throw you out like that."

Graham sighed. "Well, then I have good news. None of you will have to worry about seeing it happen again. I'm leaving."

The girl gasped. "Leaving!? I don't see why you have to take things that far? You could just stand up to them, Sho..."

Graham glared at her. "I told you, I don't answer to that name anymore."

The girl sighed and stopped in the middle of calling her brother's name. "That's right. What was it you said it was again...?"

"Graham," he sighed. "And that's part of why I'm leaving. I'll never fit in here, after what I've been through. I'm going somewhere where I will be able to."

She sighed and smiled at him. "Well, if that's the case, then I wish you the best of luck. You're right, though. You'll probably be better off somewhere else." Graham smiled and nodded. "Hmmm?" The girl notices that all he has is one suit case. "Now, I know there's no way you fit that arm brace in there?"

Graham sighed. "I'm not taking it. It holds too many memories that I would prefer not to have return."

The wolf girl sighed. "All those stories you told about passing between worlds were true, weren't they?" Graham nodded. "I don't know who she was, but she must have meant something to you, the way you carried on. When you woke up, the first thing out of your mouth was her name. If that's all you have to remember her by, you should take it with you."

Graham shook his head. "I'd really rather not. I'm going to try and forget. I don't believe I'll ever see her again, anyway. And even if I did, we probably wouldn't recognize each other. You can keep that thing, and the mask for all I care." With that, he began to walk off.

The wolf girl shrugged. "Suite yourself. That's the one thing that hasn't changed, your determination to go through with something once you've decided to do it." Having said that, she returned to the main house.

Her mother was standing there when she came in. "Where have you been?" her mother asked.

"Out by the old shack," the girl answered truthfully.

"If your father knew you were out there," her mother started to say.

"He wouldn't say anything, not when he hears what I have to say," the girl interrupted. "Shotoru's leaving. He said he's going to try and find somewhere that he'll fit in. So the rest of us won't have to hide in fear of him. I hope father's happy. He's run off his own heir out of pure fear of him." The girl finished saying this and went upstairs. Once there, she found herself having to explain the whole situation to all her brothers and sisters as well.

Hours Later

Graham stayed hidden behind the tree line, but kept himself where he could keep an eye on the road as he journeyed. Unable to remember much about this world any more, he figured the best way to get somewhere would be to follow the road. However, he also kept in mind he'd have to travel at least two or three towns away before he could safely assume he was far away from anyone who knew him.

He began to feel tired and decided to sit down and rest. He leaned back against a tree and heaved a heavy sigh. The scenery around him was beautiful. The grass and leaves were all a bright green and there were flowers of every array of color all around. As he sat there, he glanced up at the sky. The sun was shinning brightly overhead. He suddenly saw a streak of something in the sky, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "What was that?" he wondered to himself as he returned his gaze to the plant life in front of him.

He sat there, for a few minutes, wondering what he'd do for food when night time hit. As he did so, he happened to glance down to find some flowers that he'd missed. There were a bunch of Forget-Me-Knots all in a row and one vibrant red flower. He blinked looking at them. The Forget-Me-Knots almost reminded him of Lena's hair and the bright red flower reminded him of the day Tiara had returned and sealed her shadow, the first day he'd responded to her without fear. The way she had handled the situation, had led him to believe that if he trusted and protected her, she would do the same for him. He sighed. The one thing he wanted to forget the most, and all it took was a flower to bring it back to mind. He pushed his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. "I wonder how she's doing, now?" he thought. "No sense in trying to forget her today. Maybe tomorrow will be different." He sighed and reopened his eyes. They were wide and sad. "I had knew Kagetsu was up to something, but I could never come out and say it in away that she was willing to listen. Sometimes, I can't help but wonder how she took it to find that the man she preferred over me had run out on her like that, stealing something so precious to their world."

He glanced back at the flower and groaned. "I hate feeling this way. Part of me wants to hate her and say that she deserved whatever happened after that. But the other part is still madly in love with her. In spite of how she treated me, she was all that mattered to me there. I had felt she was all I needed in the world, and she was the only one I felt comfortable with." He leaned back against the tree once more and tried to clear his head. "Why do the memories of her haunt me so much? She couldn't possibly be thinking about me. ...? Could she?"

Meanwhile In The Guardian World

"Miss Lena," a man addressed her.

Lena spun around and looked at him. "Yes?" she replied.

"It appears the trail against Kagetsu will be postponed. Miss Tiara has left the Guardian World and no one's sure where to find her." Hands her an envelope. "This was found on the table in her house, it was addressed for you eyes only."

Lena took the note in curiosity and sighed. "I see. So Tiara's left, has she? Thank you very much." She gave a curtiouse bow to the man as she received the letter from him and he left. She went inside and sat down.

Leon noticed she looked a little upset. He walked over and sat down beside her at the table. "Miss Lena, what's wrong?"

Lena looked at him and tried to smile. "Tiara's disappeared. They don't know where she is. All they found was this note addressed to me." Lena opened the envelope and read the note. Her eyes grew wide with realization as she read Tiara's words. Deep in her heart, every bit of it rang true. Just as with Tiara, it wasn't until now that she realized what they had been doing to their partners. Lena sighed and glanced over at Leon, trying not to make it obvious she was looking at him. There was indeed a look of concern on his face, but she'd never noticed until now all the love and caring in his eyes when he looked at her.

Lena sighed and handed the not to Leon. "She's right," she told him. "It might be best if the two of us jumped worlds as well. With her gone, nothing can be done about Kagetsu. Which means they'll never get to deciding anything for us. We could leave now and nobody would come looking for us."

Leon looked at the note and blushed. He'd done so well hiding his feelings from Lena, that it blew him away to find that Tiara had noticed it first. He looked back at Lena, who stood there smiling at him. "Miss Lena..." He didn't know what to say, nor how to react.

She smiled even brighter and knelt down beside him. "Is it true, Leon? All those feelings she believes you've been keeping hidden inside?" Leon only blushed a brighter red, he was embarrassed that this had come up, especially in such a manner and he wasn't sure how to respond. Lena smiled. "Don't blame Tiara for bringing it out in the open. She's just worried that you and I will have the same problem she and Graham did if we don't talk about it."

Leon only starred down at the table for a moment. "Miss... Miss Lena...," was the only thing he could bring himself to say.

Lena smiled, knowing it must be true. "Leon..." She stood up and gently turned him to look back at her. True, she'd had the same dilemma that Tiara had. The feelings for Kagetsu that she'd had for so many years, made her blind to those of her own partner. She hated to admit it, but she'd been somewhat torn between who to choose herself, but for some reason, this was the first time she'd ever truly noticed just how gorgeous Leon really was. "Leon, I'm sorry. I never really paid enough attention to figure it out on my own." She leaned down and kissed him.

Leon's eyes grew wide for a moment, this was like a dream come true for him. Her lips felt just as soft as he'd always expected them to and her kiss tasted just as sweet. He smiled and glanced back at the letter as Lena pulled away from the kiss. "Thank you, Miss Tiara," he thought happily.

Lena blushed herself, this time. "I don't know about us leaving just yet, but if they ever do decide on anything, doing that might be our only hope of staying together." She blushed a bright red, surprised at what she was about to say. "But, in the meantime, why don't we explore those feelings of yours a little deeper, hmmm?" She smiled and winked at him, dragging him out of the chair and into the bedroom. Once in the bedroom, she took off her robe and gown, leaving only her bra and panties and turned back to him. A look of shock and embarrassment had come over his face. She smiled and blushed. "Come on, now. Don't be shy."

Leon shook off the shock and confusement and smiled. This was his chance, and he wasn't about to pass it up. He walked over to her and gently wrapped his arms around her, passionately kissing her. Lena released a pleasurable moan and closed her eyes, enjoying the kiss thoroughly. Leon pulled back from the kiss and smiled at her. "I love you, Miss Lena," he whispered in her ear, gently scooping her in his arms and setting her on the bed. "And I have ever since I first laid eyes on you."

Lena blushed and smiled, her heart pounding almost ninety-nothing. This was something she'd never actually thought about before, but in all sense, it seemed right. She leaned her head over on his shoulder. "I love you too, Leon."

Elsewhere

Tiara looked down at the country side below her and smiled. "Would you look at this place, Japolo? It's beautiful."

Japolo lifts her head off Tiara's shoulder and looks down below them. "Indeed it is, Tiara," she agreed. "But might I suggest that we view it from a more personal point of view? We might start a commotion if anyone were to see you flying, after all."

Tiara sighed and nodded. "You're right Japolo. Thankfully, we seem to be in the middle of nowhere, so nobody will notice our descent, and there's plenty of trees around here to land behind." Tiara began to lower them to the ground. "Hold on tight, Japolo, we're going in for a landing."

Japolo did as she was told as Tiara began to descend towards the trees beneath them. "Ah! Tiara, look out!"

"Wha...? Ah...!" Tiara looked up in time to see a giant eagle flying straight at them. "Darn it! We're in it's direct path of flight!" Tiara dodged the bird, missing it by a matter of inches, but it threw her off balance and they fell rapidly, landing on a tree branch. The landing was a bit harsh and Japolo was bounced off Tiara's shoulders and landed a few branches below her. "Ouch...!" Tiara shook off the initial pain of the impact and quickly jumped to her hands and knees and looked down below her. "Japolo!? Are you alright!?"

"I've been better, but I don't think anything's broken," the ferrite groaned.

Tiara sighed in relief, "Thank goodness. Don't move, Japolo! I'm coming down to get you!" She jumped off the branch and floated down to where Japolo had landed, scooping her furry companion into her arms and slowly descending to the ground. "Well... That wasn't one of my better landings, but at least we're ok," she admitted.

"Ok, it's official. Next time we're up in the air, we're going to have to check for birds before we come down," Japolo teased.

Tiara nodded. "Agreed." She stopped and looked around. "Now, where are we? This place has such beautiful landscaping."

Japolo jumped out of Tiara's hand and onto the suit case, which Tiara had somehow managed to keep from dropping. "I hope you have something to eat packed inside this thing? I'm starved," she said.

Tiara blinked in amazement. "I'm still holding this? I'd almost forgot I had it." She sets it down on the ground. "I should have something in here." She blushed as her stomach growled. "Hmm... Maybe we should eat before we go any farther." She opened the suit case and began rummaging through what she had. She pulled out a few berries for Japolo and dug around to find some crackers and a loaf of bread that she'd packed away. "Well... This'll have to suffice until we find a town, I guess. I couldn't carry any meat, I wouldn't have had a way to keep it fresh."

They sat down to eat. Tiara made a special sandwich for Japolo, placing some of the berries and crackers between two slices of bread. She kept out a piece of bread, a berry, and two crackers and put the rest of the food away and began eating. A strange sensation suddenly swept over her. Her eyes grew wide for a moment, and she paused. She blinked and tried to eat, so as not to concern Japolo. "What is this feeling?" she thought to herself. "So strange. I've only felt this feeling a couple of times before. Once while fighting Lena inside the Throne Of Yord. The only other time was during my last mission with Graham. Hmm...? So odd. I wonder what it could mean?" She looked down at the jewel hanging around her neck. "Graham," she thought, "All these dreams I've had about you. Could it be your spirit is still with me?"

"Tiara? What's the matter Tiara?" Japolo asked.

Tiara jerked, blinked, and shook her head. "Oh, nothing," she said with a smile. "I guess I'm just taken aback by our surroundings. I found myself lost in thought. Nothing to worry about."


	3. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 3

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 3_

Tiara opened her eyes and looked around. Everything was dark. She couldn't see much of anything around her, and Japolo was nowhere in sight. "Is... Is this another dream?" she asked herself out loud.

A gentle, familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind her. "Tiara," it called.

Tiara spun around quickly to see who the speaker was. It was too dark to make out any facial features, but the tall dark figure was strongly familiar. She gasped and her eyes widened, knowing good and well this was nothing more than a dream. "Graham...!?" she asked almost worriedly, yet with a slight tone of happiness in her voice. "Is that you?" She slowly moved closer to the figure.

The figure moved in a little closer to her, as well. As soon as they met, the figure gently placed its hand on her shoulder. "Tiara," he sighed.

"Answer me!" Tiara demanded. "Are you really Graham?" This dream was the same as the one she'd had the night before, only she'd woke up the moment she'd seen the figure and barely had time to mutter his name the night before.

The figure nodded and gently cupped its hand against her cheek. The touch felt so real. Tiara suddenly found herself holding back the tears. "Yes, it's really me, Tiara," he answered softly.

"Graham..." she whispered with a relieved sigh, gently cupping her hand over his. "Why are you here?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

He sighed and gently hugged her. "If we can't see each other in real life, why shouldn't we try to see each other in our dreams?" he asked.

"In our dreams?" she thought, "Can spirits even have dreams?" She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, tightly, laying her head on his chest. He could feel her trembling.

"Tiara? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry, Graham," she answered, her voice was shaky and cracked, as if she were trying not to cry. "I never meant to mistreat you like I did." This was one of the oddest dreams she'd ever had. Graham's body seemed solid and warm. It almost seemed as if he was really there.

Graham hugged her even tighter, the both of them sinking to their knees, his chin resting against the top of her head. "It's alright, Tiara," he reassured her. "I don't blame you. You were going through a lot of stress."

Tiara smiled and sighed. She felt so safe and comfortable in his arms. She could feel and hear his heartbeat, which only made her feel even more relaxed. She stopped and blinked. She slowly glanced at her side, at his arm. She couldn't tell much in the dark, but his arm bracer seemed to be missing, she couldn't feel it, anyway. She glanced up and gently put a hand to his cheek. She couldn't feel the cold of his golden mask. "Graham...?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, Tiara?" he asked.

"Why is it so dark? How come I can't see your face?" she asked. "Are you able to see mine?"

Graham gently took her hand in his. Now she could tell for sure that the arm bracer wasn't there. "I can see your face, just fine, Tiara. It's as beautiful as ever," he answered. "But, I've changed since the last time you saw me. You wouldn't recognize me if you saw my face. If you see it, you might not believe it's really me," he explained.

Tiara's cheerfulness quickly turned to fearfulness and dread. She jerked away from him, her eyes as cold and harsh as they had been they night she'd scolded him for fighting with Kagetsu. The Graham she knew would never have given that answer. Whether she would have recognized him or not, he still would have shown himself to her, unless he meant trouble. "Graham. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I don't find it very amusing," she said, she didn't sound angry, but rather sad and disappointed. She'd always wanted to heal him and see what he looked like beneath his mask, but once Graham started behaving like the partner he was meant to be, the Elder kept them so busy that she never really had the chance to do it. "If you're haunting me trying to make me feel guilty, then please stop. I feel bad enough about it as it is."

Graham saw the look on her face and could tell she was on the verge of tears. "Tiara...?" he sighed. "Tiara, please don't cry. That's not what I'm trying to do at all." He could tell that she was feeling frightened, as if she expected this to turn into a nightmare at any time. He slowly reached over, to try and take her back in his arms and comfort her, but she pulled away, and didn't allow him to touch her.

Tiara started sobbing. "This is why I left the Guardian World," she sniffled, whipping a tear from her eye. "All I have of you is memories and the jewel from your mask. I couldn't handle staying there, with all those memories. Graham, it's not fair for you to come to me in my dreams like this."

He looked at her in surprise as she looked back at him. Her eyes weren't cold and harsh as usual, but soft and sad. This was the first time she'd ever cried in front of him. "Tiara...?"

She sniffled and backed away a little more. "Graham. I want you back, so badly. It's not fair for you to come to me like this. Sure, I can hear you, I can feel you, but what good is that if I can't see you?"

Graham's voice returned to her, soft and concerned. "Tiara, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," he pleaded. She'd turned her back on him, trying to wipe away the tears. He slowly slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her again. "Tiara, I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I didn't know you would take it this way. I only wanted to see you again." Tiara slowly turned back to him, uncertain what to say. He gently wiped at tear from her cheek and lightly kissed her on the lips. "I'm sorry."

"Graham...?" she sobbed.

Graham released her and slowly took a couple of steps back. "I'm sorry it had to end like this, Tiara. I had hoped that we would be able to spend some more time together in a much better situation. Unfortunately, it's almost morning, and this is where we have to say goodbye." Graham's figure slowly started to fade from in front of her.

"Graham...?" Tiara sniffled. "Graham, I'm sorry!" The light began to pour in. Tiara reached out her hand, just as the scenery around her became a bright white, empty space. She was too late. Graham was gone.

"No, Graham!" she shouted, sitting up and opening her eyes. "Huh...?" Tiara blinked and looked around. She was back in the woods, Japolo was at her feet, and the camp fire they'd made was slowly dieing out. She rubbed her eyes and looked up, just in time to see the sun rise. She squinted as the sunlight hit her eyes, until they adjusted. "It was just a dream," she sighed sadly. "Oh, Tiara, you idiot! Even in your dreams, you don't know how to act around the poor boy," she scolded herself. This left her feeling depressed, so much in fact, that she never noticed that the entire time from when she woke up, Graham's jewel had been shining a bright blue hue, that had been slowly fading. Had she looked down, she would have seen the glow, just before it vanished. Tiara sighed and threw her hands to her face, silently sobbing. "Graham. I'm so sorry... I beg for you to come back to me, and when you finally do, I screw it all up..."

Graham sits up, yawning. "And once again, Tiara invades my dreams," he mumbled. "Or, perhaps, did I actually invade hers, this time?"

He sighed and stopped to think about it. "Even in my dreams, I can't seem to make her happy." Something from his dream flashed back into his mind. "Wait a minute? What did she mean, when she said she'd left the Guardian World? Was that a dream, or did we really encounter each other in our sleep, perhaps in an alternate world neither of us knew we could enter?" He sat there blinking, as he thought about it. That would explain why she was so upset about not being able to see my face. She probably thinks I'm dead. That damned Kagetsu probably never told her he sent me back to my own world. mailto:That would explain why she was so upset about not being able to see my face. She probably thinks I'm dead. That Dme& Kagetsu probably never told her he sent me back to my own world. "

Tiara's voice rang out in his head, "I want you back, so much! It's not fair for you to come to me like this!"

Graham's eyes widened. "Did she mean that? Was that really Tiara? Or, was it just part of my dream, a longing for something I wanted her to say?" The mere thought of it sent chills up his spine. "If only I could see her again, and know it's the real her," he thought.

He sighed and got up. "Dream or reality, that was the first time I'd ever seen her cry. Does she really miss me that bad?" he wondered. "These dreams HAVE to mean something, but what...?" He looked down at the ground and saw the bright red flower that had reminded him of her the night before. "Why is it that every time I tell myself I'm going to forget about her, something has to pop up and remind me? Could it be that I'm not meant to get over these feelings I have for her?"

Meanwhile, Back In The Guardian World

The man who'd delivered Tiara's message to Lena stood in the Elder's throne room. "Elder, I have urgent news," he said.

"Urgent news?" the Elder asked. "Have you located Tiara?"

"No, sir," the man answered. "But that's not the problem. I fear we may have to let Kagetsu go. We no longer have any witnesses to testify against him. I'm not sure what was in that letter Tiara left for Lena yesterday, but it seems Lena and Leon slipped out of this world last night, while no one was watching, as well. There's no way we can possibly locate them. We have no clues as to which worlds they jumped to."

"I see," the Elder said. "Very well, then. I suppose we have no choice. We have no one to back him up, nor to help us weigh judgment. Either Kagetsu will be released to tend to community and social services or banished from the Guardian World. We'll leave the choice to him."

"As you say, sir," the man said, leaving the throne room.


	4. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 4

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 4_

Graham entered the open city gates and looked around at what the streets had to offer. The town looked sort of like a small French village. He'd been traveling for almost a week now, and this was only the first real town he'd come to, there had been a smaller one just a few miles down the road from the mansion. "Well, considering the distance, there's not much chance anyone would recognize me around here," he thought to himself. He immediately began looking for a nice hotel and restaurant. He'd had enough of whatever he'd managed to find to eat on the way there, and was ready for a real meal. A nice hot shower didn't sound too bad, either. He checked in to the first hotel he came across. It was a quaint little place and seemed as though a night of staying there would be very peaceful.

Thankfully, Graham had found a stash of this world's money in the shack, that the last ranch hand had left behind. It was enough to pay for his room and then some. He followed the bellhop to his room and went inside. After the bellhop left, Graham immediately took to the shower. The water washed away dirt from where he hadn't even realized there was any. "It'll be nice to sleep in a bed instead of on the ground, for a change," he said to himself.

After his shower, he went out to find somewhere to eat. He stopped dead in his tracks at a small restaurant with tables set outside for the customers. He couldn't believe what he saw sitting there. "Could it be?" he thought, "What's she doing here?" He walked over to the table where 'she' was sitting. "Excuse me...? Miss Lena?"

"Hmmm...?" Lena looked up, from her cup of tea, at him. "Yes?" she asked. She stopped and looked at the speaker a little confused.

Graham smiled. "I thought that was you," he said.

"Have we met?" Lena asked sounding a little confused and a little dazed. Leon was sitting beside her, trying his best not to pull out the cigar he was fingering inside his pocket and light it, knowing that not only would she fuss at him for it, but in this world, he was also under age for smoking them, and didn't want to start any trouble. His mind was completely taken off of the cigar when this stranger approached them, though. He warily glanced back and forth between the two of them.

"I wouldn't expect you to recognize me," Graham said. "I didn't look like this the last time we met."

Lena looked at his face, trying to remember who he was. His eyes gave it away. "Graham?" she asked.

"Graham?" Leon thought. "Is this Miss Tiara's first partner?" he asked out loud.

"That would be me," Graham said. "You must be Leon?"

"That's right. I didn't find you to introduce Leon to you before we left for our first mission, did I?" Lena said. "Graham, don't be a stranger, please sit!"

Graham smiled and sat at the table with them. "Thank you," he said.

Lena smiled. "This is a bit of a surprise, Graham," she said. "I was told you were dead?"

"Apparently, that's what Kagetsu meant to happen, but he ended up sending me back home instead," Graham sighed.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're alive and well. Tiara would be pleased to know it," Lena said.

"How is she?" he asked, his eyes dropping from Lena's face, to the table in front of him.

"We don't know," Leon said.

"She left the Guardian World before we did," Lena answered.

The expression on Graham's face changed from depress to shock. "She LEFT!?" he exclaimed.

"It's a long story," Lena said. She began to explain to Graham about the battle to retrieve the Throne Of Yord and that Sarah's 'sacrifice' to the painting wasn't a sacrifice at all, but that they were one and the same. She then continued to explain that Tiara had left feeling guilty about how she'd treated him, and that there was nothing left in the Guardian World for her.

"She felt guilty?" he asked.

Lena nodded and pulled out the letter from Tiara. "She left this for me before she left," she said, handing it to him. She glanced over at Leon and blushed. "It certainly helped me and Leon out."

Graham looked over the note. Not the first word of it sounded like the proud Tiara he'd known. She really had been feeling guilty. Other than feelings of guilt, there wasn't any mention of her true feelings for Graham in the letter, but it was enough for him to make sense out of the last dream he'd had about her. "She said she'd left in the dream," he thought, "Perhaps we really did slip into each others dreams that night? But then...? Where is she?" He handed the note back to Lena and decided to change the subject. "You say Miss Sarah was 'part' of the painting Kagetsu was trying to steal?"

"It's strange to think about, I know," Lena said with a nod. "Apparently, she was the image of good from the Throne, while the painting itself was the image of evil. It's odd, but now that I think about it... Kagetsu, Tiara, and I were the only ones who ever seemed to have anything to do with her. I've never heard anyone else even mention her. We grew up knowing her, but...? Sometimes I wonder if the three of us and the Elder were the only ones who ever saw her? She was gone before I could introduce Leon to her... Did you ever meet her, Graham?"

Graham shook his head. "Never. She'd told Tiara she wanted to meet me, but when Tiara took me to meet her, nobody was there. We never ran into her."

"So strange... That only makes my suspicions about the whole thing even stronger...? The Throne Of Yord was playing mind games with all of us, right up to the very end. I don't blame Tiara for deciding to leave," Lena sighed.

"So, you left after reading her note, too? What are you going to do now?" Graham asked.

"We're not certain," Leon piped in.

"No, but we feel that there's no way any one form our world can find us here... As long as a whole group of Guardians and Partners don't get together in the same spot, it's hard for anyone from the Guardian World to spot us. If the rest of this world is as nice as this part of it seems to be, we may just stay here," Lena said. "But Graham... If you should run into anyone from our world, you never saw us here."

Graham smiles and nods. "Right. You two would rather be left alone, I can understand that completely."

Tiara looked up to find a large house standing on the side of the road. "Wow... Even the richest people in the Guardian World don't have a house like this," she said in amazement.

"I'll bet the people inside are stuck up," Japolo said.

"What makes you say that?" Tiara asked, stopping just in front of the house's gates.

"Well, one, it's a large house, two it's gated in, and three, it's far away from everyone else," Japolo answered.

"And because of that, you think they're stuck up?" Tiara asked. She looked back at the house, something caught her eye out in the distance. "Then why's there a shack way out back? That was probably their old house before they get this one, and they probably use it to house passing by travelers."

"I wouldn't count on it, Tiara," Japolo sighed.

"You there! What are you doing!?" a girls voice rang out.

"Huh...?" Tiara turned and looked back at the house. There in front of her stood a girl with long white hair and what looked like wolf ears on the top of her head. Tiara blinked at the girl, she looked as though she was at least eighteen years old. Tiara looked around, thinking, "Well, I'm in front of the gates, not inside them, so they cant's say I'm trespassing..."

"Well?" the girl demanded.

"I'm sorry," Tiara said. "I didn't mean to startle you or anything. I was merely admiring the house. I've never seen one like it before."

The girl looked at her. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asked.

Tiara shook her head, "No, not exactly."

The girl noticed Japolo on Tiara's shoulder and her whole attitude seemed to change. "My, what a cute ferrite," she said. Tiara smiled and gave Japolo a sort of 'I told you so' look. "What's its name?"

"Japolo," Tiara answered. "You wanna' pet her?"

The girl opened the gates and went over to pet Japolo. "She's so soft, too," the girl said. "I use to have one when I was little, but it ran away. At least, I think it ran away... It might have been stolen. It disappeared about the same time one of our ranch hands quit working for us."

"So that's why they're so isolated," Tiara thought, glancing over and seeing cows grazing in the distance. "It's a cattle ranch."

"Have you been traveling by foot for long?" the girl asked.

"Kind of," Tiara answered modestly. "It's been a couple of days."

The girl smiled at her. "You look like you could stand a nice hot shower and a good hot meal."

"That sound great," Tiara admitted.

"Come on in," the girl said.

"Are you sure it's ok?" Tiara asked.

"Sure, as long as you're out of the house by nightfall, my parents won't have a problem with extending a little hospitality to a weary traveler," the girl assured her.

"Why by night fall?" Tiara asked.

"Security reasons, due to past experiences, my parents have become a bit uncomfortable with strangers in the house after dark, it's harder to keep an eye on them after that. We've caught a few people trying to rob us before,:" the girl explained.

"Oh," Tiara said. "I see... Sounds like reason enough to me."

The girl smiled and led Tiara inside and to the bathroom. "Here you go," she said. "Go ahead and get yourself a shower and I'll heat something up for you."

"Thank you," Tiara said.

After her shower, Tiara was lead by a much younger wolf boy back to the dinning room. The wolf girl smiled at her and handed her a plate. "Here you go, it's my specialty," she said. "And here's a saucer of cream for Japolo." She sat a saucer on the table next to Tiara. Japolo quickly jumped off Tiara's shoulder and started lapping at the cream.

"Thank you, very much," Tiara said. The girl only nodded and left the room to allow them to eat in peace. Tiara glanced down at Japolo. "Look at you," she said. "I'm surprised you're not worrying as to whether or not they drugged this stuff," she teased.

"Right now, I'm too hungry to care," Japolo retorted.

Tiara smiled. "And here you thought they'd be stuck up," she said.

"Oh, just be quiet and eat," Japolo said.

"Gladly," Tiara said. Once again, neither of them noticed it, but the jewel around Tiara's neck had begun to glow.

Suddenly, an argument was heard from the other side of the door. The first speaker was the girl who'd let them in. "But you can't just throw them out!"

"You know the rules, no travelers in the house after dark," an older woman's voice replied.

"Then put them in the shed! Shotoru's not here any more, there's nothing to worry about. You can't throw them out in the rain, not after I let them have a shower and a meal," the girl sighed.

The older woman sighed. "Fine, they can stay in the shed, if it'll keep them out of the weather," she said.

"Great! I'll show them out there as soon as they're through eating," the girl said.

Japolo looked back at Tiara. Tiara looked down at Japolo. "Don't say a word, Japolo," Tiara said. "She told us before we came in that we couldn't stay in the house past dark."

The girl lead Tiara and Japolo out to the shed just as the sun began to set. "You can stay here for the night," she told them. The rain clouds had already begun to crowd each other in the sky. "It's going to pour tonight... This is where our ranch hands used to sleep. It should be warm in there. As far as I know, there aren't any leaks in the roof, so you shouldn't have to worry about getting wet."

Tiara smiled. "Thank you, I'm sorry to put you through so much trouble."

"No, no trouble at all," the girl said. A spark of lightning flashed and the thunder rolled. "Oh... I'd better get back to the house. I hope you two sleep well," she said, darting off back to the house.

"You too," Tiara called out as the girl ran off. She smiled and watched the girl for a moment, until the thunder roared again. At that point, Tiara quickly ducked into the shed. "Well, I hope everyone around here is as friendly as she is."

Japolo jumped off Tiara's shoulder and onto the nearest bed. "Ah, much better," Japolo sighed. "This beats sleeping on the ground or in trees."

"Move over, Japolo," Tiara said, climbing on the bed. The rain began to pour from the sky, hitting the shed's tin roof, making a sort of melodic sound that slowly caused Tiara and Japolo to drift off to sleep. Tiara didn't dream of Graham this night, either.

Ever since she'd dreamt of him and got upset about not being able to see his face, he hadn't come to her dreams again. However, in a state of half consciousness, she caught a quick, fleeting shadow of him in her mind. A crack of lighting and thunder jerked Tiara from her sleep before the dream could go any farther. She sat up and sighed. Her whole body tingled and burned, as if she'd just jumped awake from a nightmare, or as if something had shook her awake. She moaned and rubbed her eyes. The room was dark, except for a clock on the wall with a neon-light face. According to the clock, it was twelve midnight. The rain continued outside, bringing back memories of the last night she had seen Graham. She got up and went to the window and gently pushed one of the shudders open. Seeing the rain pour down brought a tear to her eyes. "I left him outside in the rain that night," she thought to herself. "He meant so much to me, and I let pride get in the way. This girl didn't even know me, and yet, she refused to throw me out in such weather..." She sighed. "Graham, you must have hated me."

She closed the shutter and turned back to the room. She looked down and for the first time, noticed the blue hue of light the jewel around her neck was giving off. "The jewel? Is THIS what's been plaguing me with these dreams and memories of Graham?" she wondered. "Even so, I promised myself I wouldn't take it off, so now what am I supposed to do?" She started to head back to the bed, but stopped. "Huh...?"

She stood there blinking. The neon light from the clock was hitting something under the bed and it sparkled. "What's...?" Tiara walked over to the bed and crouched down. She grabbed the sparkling object and pulled it out from under the bed. Her eyes widened and she felt like screaming when she saw what she was holding.

"This...!? This is...!?" she thought. There in her hands was Graham's arm brace. "But, how..!?" She clutched it close to her and tried not to start crying. "Is THAT why the jewel was glowing? Because this is here?" She looked at the golden arm bracer. "Why, why do they have this here!?" She sat it on the table next to the bed.

Once again, the lightning and thunder pierced through the silence in the room. She glanced over, noticing a half cracked open drawer at the top of the dresser. "I wonder...?" she said softly. She walked over to the dresser and slowly pulled the drawer open. Starring her in the face was Graham's old mask. The sight of it startled her, she hadn't really expected it to be in there. She let go of the drawer and stumbled backwards a bit. "Why!? Why is this happening!? These items shouldn't be here!" she thought. The initial shock and fear of having seen the mask quickly faded and she jerked it out of the drawer. "They shouldn't be here... But, still... I'm glad to see them," she sighed. She sat the mask on the table next to the arm bracer. All the sadness had suddenly left her, somehow, she felt everything was going to be ok. "I was meant to come here," she said, to herself. "I was meant to find these, but why, I don't know..." The sound of the rain on the roof once again began to make her sleep. She yawned and laid back on the bed. "I'll ask her about them before we leave tomorrow. Maybe she can tell me where they came from."

Meanwhile

Graham sat in his hotel room, starring out the window. The rain brought no comfort to him. His thoughts kept returning to Tiara. He was curled up under a blanket, sitting in the window sill. The rain reminded him of the cold, bitter night he'd spent after having brought Tiara's wrath upon himself. "She left the Guardian World, because she felt guilty about how she treated me," he thought to himself. "I never expected to hear such a thing said about her. She must have thought I hated her for what she did."

His breath fogged the window. "But I didn't, it only lead me to hate Kagetsu more. I could never hate her," he sighed. "I want to see her again. If only long enough to tell her I'm not mad at her, I want to see her ."

He watched the rain pour outside, hitting the streets below, and running off into the gutters, like a flowing river. "I wonder where she is now," he thought. He sighed, as he remembered his conversation with Lena and Leon earlier that day. "So, Miss Lena was the same way about Kagetsu as Tiara, was...? Until Tiara said something, Lena was over looking Leon's feelings, just because of her own for Kagetsu...? I never thought Miss Lena was that kind of person. I never even realized she liked him the way Tiara did."

He shook his head. "I have to stop this. If I think about Tiara, I'll only get depressed again, and eventually, thinking about her or Lena will bring that damned Kagetsu back to mind, and it only makes me mad to think about him." He sighed. "I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Graham stood up and went back to the bed. He caught a glimpse at the clock and sighed. "Midnight. I've got to try and go to sleep. I can't keep sulking about the past like this, or I'll drive myself insane."

He laid back on the bed and pilled up under the covers. "I know she felt bad about what happened. I know she still thinks about me. That should be good enough," he told himself. The sound of the rain suddenly became soothing. The only reason the rain had been so painful for him in the first place was because this was the first rain since he'd returned to his world. But, as he lay there, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

For the first night since he'd dreamt about her saying she'd left the Guardian World, Tiara returned to him in his dreams. Unlike the last time, this dream wasn't as realistic. He was able to touch her and hear her voice, but he couldn't feel her or smell her. As one thing led to another, in his dream, he and Tiara began to huddle closer to each other. Just as all dreams do, this one came to an abrupt end, just as he and Tiara were about to kiss.

Graham groaned and opened an eye. There stood the bellhop, with a roll-in tray . "It's your eight a.m. wake up call like you asked, sir," the bellhop said.

"Damn! And it was just getting good, too," Graham thought. He sighed, groaned and sat up. "Thank you," he said.

"Why the hell did I ask for a wake up call, my first night back in a real bed?" he thought to himself. As soon as the bellhop left the room, Graham ate the breakfast that had been brought in, and went right back to sleep, mumbling, "I'll get up for real in another two or three hours." As much as he wanted it, though, he didn't return to his dream with Tiara, instead, he didn't seem to dream at all.

Tiara woke up feeling amazingly refreshed the next morning. She yawned and stretched and jumped out of bed, quickly changing her clothes. "Well, well, well..." Japolo said. "Someone's in a good mood."

Tiara took a deep breath and sighed. "I feel wonderful, Japolo. Sleeping in a bed was exactly what I needed." Before she could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Tiara went to answer the door.

The wolf girl was standing there, with a tray. "Morning," she beamed.

"Good morning," Tiara said with a smile. She noticed the tray. "Is that for us?" The girl nodded. "Oh, well, thank you. You didn't have to do that." Tiara took the tray from the girl and went back inside, she uncovered it to find herself a looking at a breakfast feast. "Oh, this looks delicious!"

"Made it myself," the girl said, sitting on the bed and petting Japolo. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some berries. "These are for you, Japolo." Japolo started eating the berries the moment they were in sight.

Tiara smiled, watching her partner chomp down on the berries. She glanced back and saw the arm bracer and the mask sitting there at the table. "Where did these come from?" she asked.

"Huh?" the girl asked looking up to see what Tiara was talking about.

"These, where did you find them?" Tiara asked, trying to act more curious than concerned.

"Oh, those. There's a steep slope down behind our land. My oldest brother went missing for a few months. When we found him, he was lying unconscious at the bottom of the chasm. When he woke up, he demanded we take him back. He was looking for something. He found those and returned with them."

"Where they what he was looking for?" Tiara asked, sounding a bit more concerned than curious now.

"I suppose so. When he woke up, he was babbling about another world and some girl with magic powers or something like that. Everyone thought he had amnesia and had woken up from some sort of nightmare. But, he said these two items were the proof that he'd been there."

Tiara's eyes widened. "Could it be!?" she thought. "Is he really alive!?"

"Why do you ask?" the girl asked.

"Your brother... What was his name?" Tiara asked, starring at the items.

"Shotoru, but after we found him, he wouldn't answer to that name. He swore up and down his name was Graham."

Tiara's eyes widened even more, she quickly spun around to look at the girl. "He's alive!?" she exclaimed. "Where is he now?"

"He left a week ago. I don't know where he is. The biggest town near here is a weeks walk away. He's probably there. Why? Do you know him?"

"It's a long story," Tiara said. "But, tell me. The girl he spoke of, what was her name?"

"I think it was Tiara," the girl answered.

Japolo looked at Tiara, and saw tears forming in her eyes, "Here we go again," Japolo thought.

"Kagetsu didn't kill him, he sent him back home! Why didn't he ever say anything about it? Did he know he did it, or did he want me to think Graham was dead?" Tiara wondered. She didn't realize she'd said this out loud.

"YOU'RE her, aren't you!?" the girl asked. "You're the one who screwed up Shotoru!?"

"'Screwed up'!?" Tiara asked. "What do you mean?"

"That whole, arm thing he does! The fact that he didn't remember or recognize any of us...! That's all your fault!" the girl shouted.

"I'm sorry," Tiara said. "I never meant for any of this to happen," she said. "I didn't know what I was doing. I was told to summon a partner, your brother just happened to be the one I summoned. Something went wrong in the summons and he was disfigured when he arrived in my world. He completely forgot everything about his own. That's why he had the arm bracer and the mask, to cover up the deformities. The one time I tried to heal him, he was still so frightened of me, he wouldn't let me close enough to him to do so and I never really had the chance to do it again."

Tiara stood up and picked up her suit case. "I'm sorry it had to happen. If you knew what I've been through since I lost him, maybe you would understand where I'm coming from. I never knew how to tell him. But I loved your brother." She looks back at the girl. "But we'd had a fight the night before he was sent back here. As far as I know, he hates my guts, and it could be a suicide mission, but now that I know he's alive, I've got to find him and tell him how sorry I am about what I've done to him." She held out her hand. "Japolo, we're leaving." Japolo jumped on Tiara's hand and scrambled up her arm onto her shoulder. With that, they left. Graham's sister sat there, speechless. She didn't know what to think or say. She sat there for an hour or two, letting things soak in, before returning to the main house to tell her family what she'd heard.


	5. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 5

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 5: Final Chapter_

_Author's Note:_Perhaps I should have told you this from the beginning... Think of Graham's voice more like his Japanese voice than his English. His Japanese voice fit him well, it was soft and sensitive sounding. His English voice fit him on the side of showing his strength, but that was all it did for him. It actually made his lines sound stupid, rather than showing the sensitivity towards Tiara's feelings that I think he meant to show. Besides, his English voice sounded more like Dragon Ball Z's Vageta, yuck! That's not a voice or character that's meant to be as melodramatic as they made Graham out to be. Besides, even though we didn't get the adorable wolf-like whining and whimpering from Graham in the Japanese version, when he chased after that Shadow creature, that 'shriek' of his was awesome! It was more of a banshee's wail. It was cool, and actually kind of cute. 3

Oh, and so you know, I've gone back & corrected some small errors in previous chaapters, including one in the last chapter taht was rather vital to this chapter.

Tiara looked down and smiled. "This must be it!" she said, landing on the gate to the city she'd spotted from below. "This is the first town we've come across since we've left the mansion," she said hopefully.

"Don't get your hopes up, too much, Tiara," Japolo yawned. "This might be the place, but for all we know, this Graham of yours might have already left."

Tiara sighed and looked down at the streets below them. Aside from the moon and the stars, and a few street lights, the whole town was dark. She couldn't see the first window light anywhere. "Graham, where are you?" she thought. She saw the soft blue light from the jewel around her neck. "Well, I guess I'm on the right track, anyway." She looked at Japolo. "Do you always have to look on the negative side of everything? True, he might have left, but if it takes as long as it did to get to this town, to get to the next, I'll never find him," she sighed. "Besides, I'd rather take my chances looking for him here, before moving on, and risking the chance of passing him up if he hasn't left."

Japolo could see the look of hurt Tiara was trying to hide. "He must have meant a lot to you?" she asked Tiara. She could tell Tiara had feelings for Kagetsu, but that they had been waning, however, Tiara never really talked about Graham.

"You have no idea, Japolo," Tiara answered. "You remember what I told his sister?"

"That you loved him?" Japolo asked.

"Exactly," Tiara nodded. "I meant that, with all my heart, but, I never had the guts to show it. As soon as I saw Graham, from the moment I summoned him, I could tell my feelings for Kagetsu where changing, that they were slowly turning to Graham, the unfortunate, misshapen creature I'd drug into my world... But, I became confused as to which I cared for more, and tried to steer clear of showing my feelings for Graham. They were almost instantly at each other's throats over me, the moment they met. I was worried that I'd loose them both if I suddenly began to show love for Graham. I didn't mean to push him away... And I never realized that Kagetsu would do what he did. If I had known I was going to loose Graham, I would have told him my true feelings."

Japolo suddenly jumped into an upright standing position. "Hmm...?"

"What is it, Japolo?" Tiara asked.

"I'm picking up a power field similar to that of the Guardian World," Japolo said.

"Can you tell who?" Tiara asked, looking around, nervously.

"Relax, Tiara. It's not the Elder or any of his men," Japolo said, "I think it's Leon and Miss Lena."

"Oh, that's a relief," Tiara said. "...!? What are they doing here? Can you tell where they're at, how far they are?"

"They're about 2 blocks that way," Japolo said, pointing in the direction she was sensing them from.

"Alright," Tiara said, heading in the direction Japolo was pointing. "What are they doing here, I wonder," Tiara thought, "Did they take my letter to heart and leave as soon as they read it, and just coincidentally pop up here, or did someone else in the Guardian world figure out I was here and send them after me?" She stopped and found herself looking at a house much like the one she and Japolo had resided in while they where chasing Kagetsu. "Is this the place, Japolo?"

"This is it," Japolo nodded.

"Well then," Tiara said. "I guess it's time to drop in for a visit. She checked the door, and it wasn't locked. The door swung open and Tiara walked in. She closed the door behind her and went over to the bedroom. She stopped in front of the bedroom door and blushed. She could hear heavy breathing coming from inside the room. "Oops, sounds like I chose a bad time to show up," Tiara thought, "Oh well, can't be helped now..." She knocked on the door.

Lena jumped and sat up, pulling the covers up to cover herself. "What in the world?" she thought, she and Leon both glanced at the clock.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Leon groaned, slowly climbing out of the bed and slipping back on his pants.

"If it's a robber, I've got bad news for them. There's nothing worth stealing here," Lena said getting out of the bed and slipping on her nightgown. She heaved a disheartened sigh. "I guess we'd better go check it out."

"Damn, and I was so close, too..." Leon muttered irritably, as he reached for the door knob. Lena overheard this and slightly blushed. Leon opened the door, and stood, starring, surprised to see who was on the other side.

"Tiara!?" Lena exclaimed.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you guys so late, but... Japolo sensed that you were here, and we figured we'd drop in. All the hotels are probably closed to the public by now."

"No, no bother at all," Lena said, "I'm actually glad we ran into you. I need to talk to you."

"Oh, really?" Tiara asked.

"Yes," Lena said with a smile, "I wanted to thank you for your letter. As you can see, we took your advice." She motioned for Leon and Tiara to follow her and led them into the kitchen. There was a small table in the middle of the room. "Have a seat, and I'll fix us some tea."

Tiara sat at the table, across from Leon. She sort of blushed, when she looked at him. She'd always said Lena was lucky to have such a devoted, good looking partner. However, she never realized just how good looking Leon really was until now, seeing him without a shirt on. "She truly is lucky," she thought, looking down at the table, "I'm glad I was able to help them before she made the same mistake I did."

Lena put a pot of tea on the stove and set it to boil, then joined Tiara, Japolo, and Leon at the table. "So, Tiara, how long have you been in this world?" she asked.

"Ever since I left the Guardian World," Tiara said. "This was the first world I came to, that I thought was far away enough, they couldn't find me through my energy vibes. I was thinking of moving on to another, in a couple of days, though." Tiara sighs, thinking, "But if I do, I won't see him again... Then again, he probably doesn't want to see me, after what happened."

"Miss Tiara, is something wrong? You seem troubled," Leon asked.

"No," Tiara said, forcing a smile. "Nothing, really, I'm just sort of lost in thought."

"Tiara," Lena pulled out the note Tiara had left behind for them and set it on the table, "I wanted to ask you about this. You left to try and clear your mind, to see if you could forgive yourself for what happened between you and Graham." Tiara nods. "What really brought you to this world? Was it truly the first world you thought you could get away from being tracked down, or did you by any chance know this was the world that you pulled him from?"

Tiara's eyes grew wide and she nearly jumped out of her chair, when she heard this, "How did you know this was his world!?"

Lena smiles, "So, you did know this world was his?"

"No, it's not that," Tiara exclaimed. "I had no clue this was his world! But... I... I ran into his family." Tiara sighed. "Kagetsu didn't kill Graham, after all. He merely sent him back here. When I was at his family's house, I found his mask and arm brace. Lena, he's still alive out there, somewhere."

Lena and Leon smile. "We know."

Tiara looks at both of them in surprise, "What...?"

Lena tried not to laugh. "Tiara, I'm sorry to have brought up such a touchy subject, but I just had to find out what you knew. Leon and I ran into him a couple of days ago. He's been traveling for a while, now, and stopped here for a while. I think he was planning on heading out within a couple of days from now, though."

"Tomorrow, I thought he said," Leon said, getting up from the table, as the tea pot began to whistle.

"Tomorrow!?" Tiara exclaimed. "Lena, do you know where he is, right now?"

Lena nods, "He's in the hotel, here in town. We'll have to take you to him."

Tiara bit her bottom lip, for a moment, in thought. "I don't know if I should. I'd love to see him again, but..."

"Tiara, if you're worried about whether or not he'll forgive you, all I can tell you is that he's been thinking about you, just as much as you have him," Lena assured her.

"He has?" Tiara asked, hopefully.

"Finally, I'll get to meet this guy she's been carrying on about so much," Japolo thought. Leon returned to the table with three cups of tea, and a bowl of cream.

"Oh, thank you, Leon," Lena said with a smile.

Leon smiled back and replied, "No problem."

"Tiara, this might be your only chance to tell him how you really feel. You helped me and Leon, now I'm going to help you," Lena insisted. "I'm taking you to see Graham at sunrise."

Tiara smiled and nodded, "I guess you're right. Alright, then."

They finished off their drinks and Tiara cleaned the dishes from the table, while Lena set up a place for Tiara and Japolo to sleep. They then headed off to bed. They just barely managed to get in a few hours of sleep before the sun rose. Just as Lena had said, she woke Tiara up at the crack of dawn and insisted Tiara hurried to get dressed. Once everybody was dressed, Lena and Leon lead Tiara to the hotel Graham was staying in. "Here it is," Lena said, as they approached the door. Tiara began to feel a little nervous, even with Lena's reassurance, she was still worried about how Graham would feel about seeing her again. Lena lead Tiara up to Graham's bedroom and stopped at the door. "Wait here, Tiara." Tiara nodded. Lena knocked on the door.

Graham's voice answered from inside, "Come in?" Tiara's heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice, she recognized it right away. Lena opened the door to the room, just enough that she could slip in, without showing who else was outside, then shut it behind her. "Oh, Miss Lena?" Lena smiled, "I understand you were planning to leave today, right?" she asked. Graham nodded. "That's what I thought. Before you go. I've got a little present for you."

"A present? Miss Lena, you didn't have to do that," Graham said, sounding somewhat flattered.

"I know, but I just couldn't pass this up," Lena said, somewhat coyly. "Just a minute, and I'll get it. It's right outside." Lena cracked the door open and motioned Tiara in. Tiara slowly entered the room.

Graham stood frozen and wide-eyed, in near shock, when he saw her enter. "Tiara...?" he muttered, still in surprise.

Lena smiled and slipped back outside the room. "I'll leave the two of you alone, for now... Leon and I will be downstairs in the lobby if you need us." Before either of them could say anything, Lena quickly shut the door.

Tiara looked back at the closed door, then nervously turned back to face Graham. "Graham...?" she started. She was still too worried about what he thought, to even look him in the eyes.

"Tiara," Graham sighed, walking over to her. Tiara turned her head downwards, expecting the worse. She looked up, however, when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Graham," she whispered, gently cupping a hand over his right cheek and smiling. "So... This is what you look like under the mask." Graham only nodded. "Graham, I'm sorry... Sorry about everything."

Graham smiled and gently put his hand over hers moving it away from his face. "It's alright, Tiara," he assured her. "I never blamed you."

"You should have," Tiara said, guiltily. "I'm the one to blame for everything. It wasn't Kagetsu's behavior that caused me to act like I did." Graham looked at her, curiously. Tiara looked down at the floor and nervously fidgeted with her skirt. "Graham, I have to confess something. I was torn between you and him, that's why I acted like I did. That night I threw you out, the way I looked at you, I wasn't frightened of you, I was frightened of myself." She looked back up at him, almost in tears, "I don't understand why, even now, this is so hard for me to tell you, but..." She took a deep breath and rubbed one of her eyes. "Graham, what I'm trying to say is... I love you."

Graham smiled and gently threw his arms around her. "Shh... Tiara, please, don't start crying," he said. "I love you, too, Tiara."

Tiara smiled and hugged him. After everything she'd been through, that was the one thing she needed to hear. It was also the one thing she'd been longing to hear for so long. "Oh, Graham," she sighed, "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Believe me Tiara, I think I do. No matter what, I just couldn't forget about you. I've waited for this moment for so long." He caught her under the chin and gently turned her to look at him. He leaned in and gently pushed his lips to hers, in a passionate kiss. Tiara's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. She then closed them and returned the kiss. It felt like something warm and sweet dissolving in her mouth. She knew, then, that everything was going to be ok. Everything just felt so right, even Kagetsu's kisses didn't feel like this.

They both slowly pulled out of the kiss and smiled at each other. "Graham," Tiara said, "Let's leave here. I know of a world we can jump to, that still has a few islands that aren't inhabited, we could go there. It'd just be us." She sighed. "I know it might sound like a strange sugestion, but I've lost you once, I don't want to loose you again." Graham smiled, "Alright, Tiara, I would like that... But, don't you have another partner?"

Tiara blinked, "Oh, yes, of course. Japolo. I guess it wouldn't be just the two of us, I couldn't leave her behind."

Graham smiled, "Something tells me you were waiting for the right moment to bring that up. Tell you what..." He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

Tiara smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course, that's a great idea. Let's go tell them."


	6. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 6

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflections**_

_Chapter 6:_

Due to popular demand, Tiara and Graham's Reflections continues! Thanks for spurring me on, guys & gals.

Back in the Guardian World.

Kagetsu stood before the Elder, his jaw dropped in surprise. "She left, just like that?" he asked. The Elder nodded. Kagetsu sighed. "Lena, too?" Once again the Elder nodded. Kagetsu fiddled with his shirt collar and his necktie for a moment. "In that case, if I have the choice, I'd rather not stick around." He looked around and noticed he and the Elder were the only ones in the room. "You must understand why I did what I did. I spent my entire life thinking Sara was my sister, and from the way things seemed, she did as well. I was unable to bear the thought of loosing her. But now that I know the truth, I really wish I had thought things through a little more. I did it for Tiara and Lena, as well. They were both so close to Sara, I thought for sure they'd be glad to have her back."

The Elder looked at Kagetsu questionably. "You say you did it for them, as well. But you know your actions made you a fugitive from this world. If you had succeeded in the task of freeing Sara, it wouldn't have been easy for you to return here. So, while I understand the reasons regarding yourself, how do you justify doing it for the girls?"

Kagetsu sighed and hung his head. "I guess you're right. It doesn't really sound like it makes much sense. … Either way, I think it best that I leave the Guardian World, as well. To those who know what I did, I'm marked. … And the only ones who truly understood why I did it are gone. If I stay here, it would only cause problems."

The Elder sighed and nodded. "I expected such an answer. It's a shame. Thanks to the Throne of Yord playing with everyone's mind, we've already lost two of our most promising 'Princesses', and now we're loosing one of our best neutralizers. If that is what you wish, then so be it, under the circumstances, there's not much else I can do about the matter."

Kagetsu sighed and bowed, "Thank you, Sir. I shall leave by tonight." With that, he left the room.

Meanwhile

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Lena exclaimed. "Are you sure it wouldn't be a bother for Leon and I to come along?"

Tiara smiled. "Not at all," she said. "Let's face it, if it wasn't for me, you and Leon wouldn't have worked things out, and, likewise, if it wasn't for the two of you I probably never would have found Graham. Bringing the two of you along is the least we can do. Besides, even though Graham maintained some of the abilities that he gained in our world, I'm not sure if he can jump worlds anymore. I might need your help to make a big enough portal."

"Well," Lena said, "When you put it that way, I guess I can't argue. I'd love to join you. I've always wanted a private island of my very own. But, I wouldn't mind sharing with the four of you. What do you think, Leon?"

Leon smiled. "I like the idea," he said, gently wrapping an arm around Lena. "This place is nice and all, but, honestly, I'm tired of have to chase off all those guys that keep eyeing you around here." Lena blushed.

Tiara giggled, "Then it's decided."

"Hold on, now," Japolo protested, jumping on Tiara's shoulder. "Nobody's bothered to ask my opinion."

Tiara looked at Japolo and sort of frowned. "You don't like the idea, Japolo?"

"Tiara, stop and think for a moment. If we go off to an isolated, uninhabited island, there are going to be certain necessities, like food, shelter, and at least running water, we'd have to worry about. Not to mention a way to prepare any food that we did find."

"Is that all you're worried about?" Tiara sighed. "Between the five of us, I'm sure we can come up with a reasonable means of shelter. Anyone can build a fire, and Lena and I can easily transport back and forth to find food. We can't always jump worlds to do it, it'll use up a lot of energy, but we can teleport to other landmasses to get what we need."

Lena nodded in agreement, "There's nothing to worry about, Japolo. But, we really do need to leave this world soon, we have been attracting a bit of attention from the natives." She discreetly nodded her head to the side. Tiara, Japolo, Graham, and Leon all glanced over to see a group of guys starring at them. Lena lowered her voice to a whisper, "Those guys have been watching us for a while now. Besides, should anyone from the Guardian World be sent here for one reason or another, they'll sense us, miles away from wherever they enter."

Tiara nodded. Japolo sighed, "Alright, fine… But I don't want to hear any complaining from the two of you about anything once we get there!"

Graham looked at the ferret in amazement. He couldn't believe Japolo had the nerve to talk to Tiara and Lena in such a manner. "This is her new partner?" he thought, "Apparently undying loyalty doesn't apply to animals."

"It's settled, then," Tiara said, "We leave tonight. That'll give us the rest of the day to get some supplies together that we can take with us." Everyone nodded in agreement. "And," she thought, "That'll give me and Graham a little more time to ourselves." She smiled, gently wrapping her arms around Graham's. "Alright, Japolo, you go with Lena and Leon," she said. "I'll help Graham finish packing his stuff, and then the two of us will set out to buy some more supplies. If any of us get separated from the others, we all meet back at the town gates at midnight, alright?" Once again everyone nodded in agreement. Tiara smiled, "Ok, see you then." With that, she gave Graham's arm a gentle tug and lead him back up the stairs to his room.

Lena smiled, watching the two of them leave. "It's been ages since I've seen her so happy," she thought, "She was always so bitter towards me, for the longest time, it began to seem that even when she was with Kagetsu and Sara she wasn't that happy." Lena gently scooped Japolo up off the table. "Ok, you two, let's go."

Tiara shut the door behind them. "Graham," she sighed.

"Can I ask you something?" "Sure, Tiara?" Graham answered.

"I… I sort of ran into your family a few days ago," she said. "Your sister seemed pretty upset when she realized who I was. Just what happened?"

Graham sighed. "They found out I had some powers they didn't recognize, became frightened, and left me out in the old ranch-hand shack."

Tiara's eyes widened, "Oh, Graham, I'm so sorry…"

Graham smiled, "Don't be. I've gotten over it. I couldn't remember them anyway." He gently hugged her. "You and your world were the only memories I had, Tiara. I couldn't forget you. I'm sure that if I had been allowed to stay around them a little longer, my memories of them would have come back. But, I'm not sure if I want them to."

Tiara sighed and smiled. "Graham," she sighed, gently cupping his cheek in her hand, "Even when I wasn't with you, I was still hurting you. I never wanted any of this to happen. If I hadn't turned you out that night, maybe it never would have." She hugged him. "I know you said you forgive me, but I still feel so guilty about it. Graham, I loved you from the start, I was just too afraid to say anything."

Graham smiled and gently kissed Tiara's forehead. "Tiara, please, it's all behind us now. What matters is that we're together, now."

Tiara smiled and nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't dwell on the past anymore. Come on, let's finish packing your stuff."

Graham sighed and smiled, she had told him the very thing he'd wanted to hear. He decided to change the subject. "So, when did you get that fuzzy thing as a partner? What was her name?"

"Oh, Japolo?" Tiara replied, nonchalantly. "When we realized the Throne of Yord was missing, Lena and Leon were sent to retrieve it. When they were unable to do so, I was called in to go check things out. But I wasn't allowed to go on my own. I had to summon a new partner. I decided to summon myself something more of a familiar, this time. … I wasn't expecting a sultry ferret, though."

Graham smirked, "Yeah, I noticed she seemed to have a bit of an attitude on her. That didn't pose a problem for you?"

Tiara stopped for a moment, the piece of clothing in her hand half folded, she sighed, as though she were in thought, then turned to Graham and smiled. "Not really… Well, not lately, anyway. I was a little annoyed with her at first. She can be so pessimistic, sometimes, and she has a habit of pointing out everyone's flaws. But, when it comes right down to it, she's a really good partner. She will come through in a pinch."

Graham smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see you've at least been well taken care of, in my absence."

Tiara smiled, as she finished folding the cloth in her hands. "He was actually worried about me," she thought, "He knows I'm fully capable of taking care of myself. But, I think it's kind of sweet that he was worried about whether or not I had a reliable partner." It didn't take them long to get Graham's stuff together. When they were through, Graham walked up behind Tiara. She almost jumped, when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

She smiled, looking at his hand. She gently reached up and cupped hers around it. She could feel, even from such a light touch, just how strong he was. She'd seen his strength back in her world, but, she'd never felt it for herself. However, his hand felt stronger now, than he'd looked then. "I understand, now," she thought, "Kagetsu had told me, once, that he actually feared Graham. Graham always looked so strong, but Kagetsu was the only one who ever truly knew just how strong he really was." Tiara turned around, throwing her arms around Graham and pushing her lips to his. Graham wrapped his arms around her and passionately returned her kiss. Tiara almost instantly became putty in his hands.

"Ok, how long does it take to pack this guy's stuff?" Japolo thought, "I know she said meet outside at midnight, but it shouldn't take that long to get everything together. Everyone's traveling light!"

Lena looked down, on her shoulder and noticed the look on Japolo's face. It seemed Japolo was scanning over the crowd of passersby. "Are you worried about her?" Lena asked.

Japolo jumped, not having expected Lena's voice to break the silence between them. She hadn't realized her concerns were obvious. "Don't be ridiculous," Japolo denied. "I'm just wondering if the girl's head is in the right place."

"What do you mean?" Lena asked.

"Something just doesn't feel right about this, to be honest," Japolo sighed. "I know Tiara's glad to see him, especially after everything else she's been through. But, we don't know what kind of wave-lengths he gives off to the Guardian World, anymore. A secluded island with the five of us might be the very thing that gives us away. We might all be drug back there."

"I don't believe that's what's really bothering you," Lena sighed. "If Graham were giving off those kinds of wave-lengths, YOU could have detected him on your own. The same way you detected the Throne of Yord, and Leon and myself. I think the truth of the matter is that you're worried she'll start neglecting you with him around."

Japolo spun around, away from Lena and crossed her 'arms'. "Humph…! Believe what you want!"

Lena smiled and giggled, "That's exactly what it is," she thought. She continued browsing over the produce in front of her, leaving Japolo to her thoughts. After a moment, she sighed and smiled. "Japolo, it's ok. You can deny your worries all you want, but you have nothing to worry about. Tiara knows the importance of a good partner." Japolo sighed, but didn't answer, having heard that did comfort her a little.

They all returned to the town gates at midnight, as planned. "Is everyone ready?" Tiara asked. The others nodded. "Alright, then. Lena…" Lena nodded. The two girls closed their eyes and opened a portal. Japolo jumped on Leon's shoulder, who gently wrapped his arms around Lena's waist. Graham did the same with Tiara. Each person took a piece of luggage in their hands, just as the portal engulfed them. Once inside the portal, Tiara was able to focus on the coordinates she wanted to jump to. Within minutes, they found themselves standing on a beach, surrounded by water, sand, and fruit trees. "We did it," Tiara said, happily.

They looked around them, pleased with their surroundings. Japolo jumped to the ground and looked up. "One slight problem, Tiara. In case the rest of you haven't noticed, this world seems to have the same time line the one we just left had. It's still night."

Tiara sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Japolo, honestly! Why do you always have to nay-say?"

Japolo spun around to look at Tiara, and tried her best not to sound pushy. "We can't do anything here, right now, Tiara. It's night, which means we can't look around to get our bearings, we can't build a shelter, and we can't even make certain there's no one else here."

Tiara sighed, leaving one hand on her hip, and putting the other to her forehead. "Japolo," she said, firmly. She sighed again, and continued calmly. "Look at it this way, we've all been up for hours, we're all tired. It'd be better to have arrived here during the night than during the day. This way, we're under the cover of night, and we can sleep without burning up. Another night sleeping on the ground won't make that much difference."

Japolo sighed. "I guess you're right, Tiara. I didn't think of it that way."

Tiara crossed her arms, "THANK you."

"Um, if the two of you are quite finished," Lena interrupted, "I'd like to move away from the water and find a nice soft patch of grass to bed down on, for the night." Graham and Leon stood there, silent, neither one feeling brave enough to butt into the conversation. Even Leon was sometimes surprised at the amount of opinionated rebellious freedom Japolo seemed to show towards Tiara. Graham refused to say it, but he actually felt a little envious of Japolo. He didn't think a partner could ever be brave enough to stand up to their summoner in such a manner, he certainly never was.

Tiara turned back to Lena, her voice calm and collective. "I'm sorry, Lena. This has been a long day. Maybe we'll all feel better once we get some sleep." She was trying her best not to let Japolo get on her nerves. She could feel the jealousy towards Graham emanating from Japolo. Before leaving the Guardian World, she'd vowed that she wouldn't abandon Japolo, and just because she'd found Graham, that didn't mean her mind had changed. However, Japolo was being difficult about the situation.

Tiara found what looked like the perfect spot to settle down and spread out her sheets. Lena and Leon were settling down just a few feet away from where Tiara was. Japolo scrambled up a tree and found somewhere to curl up. Graham stayed close to Tiara and watched her drift off to sleep. He smiled, watching her sleep.

"She's so beautiful, even in her sleep," he sighed. "She looks so peaceful. Looking at her like this, you'd never think she was as powerful as she is." He pulled an extra cover over Tiara and then set up his own bedding. He didn't bed down very close to Tiara, but he made sure he was close enough, incase something happened. He settled just dead center between her and Lena and Leon. He wanted to curl up next to Tiara, but was satisfied enough with being as close to her as he was. She hadn't said anything before she fell asleep, and he respected her too much to move in on her personal space, while she was asleep.


	7. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 7

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflections**_

_Chapter 7:_

Ok, folks, here's Chapter 7. Oh, and by the way, Teefa, you sort of read my mind. However, any of you who, unlike me, are fans of the Tiara/Kagetsu relationship, I need to warn now. Some "dark secrets" about Kagetsu's relationship with Tiara will come out in this chapter. ... Huh, I think this is the shortest chapter, yet. I finished it in just one day Oh, and for the record, before I get flamed, let me stress, again, that this is just a fanfic, and so far, Graham's family are the only characters I actually own.

Graham awoke with a start and quickly jumped to his feet. He could have sworn he'd heard something. He looked around, warily. His eyes fell on where Tiara had been sleeping, she was no longer there. "Tiara?" he whispered in concern. He knew she couldn't have gone too far. He entered the brush close to where she had been and pushed his way deep into what appeared to be a thick jungle of fruit trees.

Tiara was sitting on a large rock in the middle of a clearing, fidgeting with the gold chain to her make-shift necklace. She seemed dazed and almost frightened. She heard something rustle behind her and let the chain drop back inside the color of her shirt, she whipped her head around, quickly, her pigtails flying through the air. "Oh," she sighed. "Graham, it's you. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Graham shook his head. "Not really," he said, approaching her. The rock was big enough the both of them could sit on it. He sat down beside her. "What's wrong, Tiara? Just can't sleep? That's not like you."

Tiara sighed and smiled. "No," she said. "It's not that. It's…"

Graham could see her shaking a little. "Don't tell me it's nothing," he said, worriedly. "He gently wrapped his arms around her. "You're shaking."

Tiara sighed, there was no fooling him. "Well, I had a bit of a nightmare," she told him. "I… Lena told me she explained to you what happened with Sara?" Graham nodded. "Ok. Well, this dream was sort of a flashback to the battle inside the Throne. When we fought, at one point, Graham, I actually felt as though you were still with me. For a brief instant, the air went still, and there was this roar that rang out of nowhere. Honestly, I half expected to see you appear out of nowhere, when it happened, but… Leon and Japolo came to aid me, and fought very well." She stopped, crossed her legs, and sighed. "However, in this dream, not even they could help me."

The image from her dream returned to her mind. She wanted to shake it off and stop talking about it, right then and there. However, she knew she had to get it off her chest or it would continue to haunt her. "Lena, Leon, and Japolo were paralyzed, and Sara, the Throne, and Kagetsu were merged together. I tried to get away, but couldn't move. The next thing I knew, Kagetsu's hand was around my throat, I couldn't breath. I tried to struggle free, but his grip was too tight."

Graham looked at Tiara, almost in shock. He'd never heard her voice so laden with fear. "How ironic that a dream about the man she once would have chosen over me would give her such fear now," he thought. Tiara looked as though she were on the verge of tears. "Tiara," he said, softly, trying to comfort her, "It was only a dream." Back in the Guardian World, he'd heard several people refer to Tiara as a crybaby, but he'd never once seen a tear come to her eyes. He never wanted to admit it, but he was actually a bit jealous of those who had seen her cry, he'd wanted to be there for her to cry on his shoulder, at least once. He gently hugged her and scooped her up in his lap.

"Graham," she sighed. She clung to him, laying her head on his chest. She felt like she were being cradled like a newborn infant, and she liked it. Knowing his strong arms were around her made her feel a bit more comfortable. "I know it was a dream," she said, clutching onto his shirt, "But it felt so real. I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. My neck was sore, it really felt as though someone had been trying to choke me. But, when I looked around, everyone else was asleep, there was no one there. It startled me. That's why I came out here."

Graham hugged her tighter and gently kissed her forehead. "My poor Tiara," he sighed. "Don't worry, everything will be alright. Perhaps you were tossing in your sleep, while trying to break free of his hold in the dream."

Tiara smiled and nodded, "Perhaps you're right, Graham."

He smiled, glad to see he could cheer her up. "Nobody's going to hurt you, as long as I'm with you. I promise you that. When I was your partner, my main objective was to protect you, why should I stop now?" Tiara smiled and passionately kissed Graham's lips. He was helping her feel better and better with every second. The chain around Tiara's neck fell out of her top and the jewel sparkled. Graham noticed it and caught his hand under the charm and looked at it. "Is this what I think it is?"

Tiara blushed and nodded. "Yes, it is." She pulled the necklace off and handed it to him. "I fixed it into a necklace when I left the Guardian World. I promised to never take it off, but I think this calls for an exception."

Graham looked at the jewel for a moment, then back at Tiara. "You kept this with you, the whole time?"

Tiara nodded. "It was all I had left. I didn't really have the chance to get you any belongings while you were with me, and your mask and arm bracer were sent away with you. I couldn't leave this jewel behind." She smiled, taking the necklace back from him and putting it back around her neck, still sitting in his lap. "I believe this is what lead me to find you, too. Every now and then, it would glow."

Graham smiled. He went to hug her again, but, she was still fidgeting with the chain, her arms lifted up, and his hand landed on her chest, rather than her side. They both blushed a bright red. "Ah, Graham…" Tiara exclaimed.

Graham quickly jerked his hand away, his face still a bright red. "I - I'm sorry, Tiara." He quickly turned his face away from her.

Tiara blushed, smiled, and gently took his stray hand in hers. "It's ok, Graham," she coaxed him. "I know you didn't intend on it." She gently pushed her other hand to his cheek and turned him to look her in the eyes. She smiled sweetly at him and kissed his cheek. "I'm almost certain the thought's crossed your mind before," she cooed, "But, at the same time, I know you'd never try it without my permission."

Graham chuckled. "You know me too well, Tiara," he admitted, "It's true, I have been tempted. But, the spell you held over me when I was your partner will never be fully broken. I respect you too much to push it on you. I would never attack your honor like that."

Tiara giggled. "You're too sweet, Graham." She gently kissed him, once more. "So, even now, you still see me as your princess?" Graham nodded. Tiara smiled and stood up. "Well then…" She began to remove her top. "Let's see how well you can serve your princess, hmm?" She winked at him, blushing a little, she was actually surprised at herself for deciding on this, but even though the thought of it did make her a bit nervous, she wasn't about to back down.

Graham looked at her, flush red in the face and gulped. "T-Tiara, are you sure?"

Tiara blushed, nodded, and climbed back on his lap, passionately pushing her lips to his. This time, Graham was certain he felt her tong in his mouth. "Nervous, my love?" Graham blushed and nodded. "To be honest, so am I. But, I know everything will be ok. Let's both just relax and go with the flow, hmm?" Graham didn't say a word, he merely smiled and nodded. He'd love nothing more than to give Tiara what she wanted, no matter what it was she wanted. They both pushed their lips together, once more, in a passionate French-kiss.

Japolo cocked one eye open as the sun rose. She sat up, stretched, and yawned. "Ah! I slept surprisingly well…" She looked down and noticed that while Lena and Leon where still asleep, Tiara and Graham were missing. "What the…!? NOW where has that girl gone off to?" She scampered down the tree and over to Lena and Leon. "Wake up you two, Tiara's missing!"

Lena and Leon both jumped awake, having been startled out of their peaceful slumber by Japolo's voice. Lena yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Japolo, what's all the noise about?"

Japolo growled, "Didn't you hear me!?" She pointed over to where Tiara's bedding was. "Tiara's missing!"

"Relax," Leon sighed, "She can't have gone far."

Lena nodded, and looked around. "Graham's not here, either, so he's bound to be with her. There's nothing to worry about."

Japolo stood there, dumbfounded, for a moment. "Fine, I'll go look for her myself," she grumbled, running off. "In the meantime, you two worry about getting breakfast fixed." She darted off into the woods. "I understand that he use to be her partner, but I don't think it's safe to leave her alone with him," Japolo thought to herself.

Tiara fastened the buttons back on her shirt, and giggled a little. Graham was already dressed again, but still feeling somewhat out of breath. She smiled sweetly at him. "That was really fun, Graham." She hugged him. "I'm feeling much better, now. Thanks." 3

Graham smiled and gently kissed her cheek. "Any thing for you, my dear Tiara. I'm glad I was able to help." Tiara smiled, for the first time in a long while, she actually felt complete.

"Tiara!?" Japolo's voice rang out, ruining the romantic scene.

Tiara and Graham both jumped, looking up. "What the…!? Oh, Japolo," Tiara sighed. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

Japolo raised an eyebrow, "Did I startle you? Good." She jumped on Tiara's shoulder and moved so that she was face to face with the 'princess'. "Just WHAT do you think you're doing running off without letting anyone know where you are?"

Tiara bit her lip, trying not to get angry. "Where you worried, Japolo?" Tiara asked calmly. "That had better be the only reason you're scolding me for leaving the camp grounds!" Japolo almost fell off Tiara's shoulder.

Japolo sighed. "Tiara, it's just that you shouldn't run off by yourself. We still don't know how safe this island is."

Tiara sighed. "First off, Japolo, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a short walk. Second, I wasn't about to wake anyone up just to let them know I couldn't sleep. And third, Graham woke up about the same time and came with me, so I wasn't alone."

Japolo sighed. "Fine, fine," she said, jumping to the ground. "Sheesh, I worry about your well being and this is the thanks I get," she thought. "Oh, if the two of you are in the least bit interested, I think Lena and Leon are working on fixing breakfast!" With that, she ran back to the camp.

Tiara sighed, her eyes looking slightly saddened, as she watched her partner run off. "What's gotten into her?"

Graham hugged Tiara. "She probably needs time to adjust to the idea of someone else around," he said, hopefully. He'd hoped he and Japolo could get along, for Tiara's sake, but the more and more of Japolo's free-willed attitude he saw, the less and less he actually liked her. He hated feeling like that, though.

Tiara sighed and nodded, "I guess so… At least, I hope so." She turned to look back at Graham. "Come on, let's head back. After breakfast, we'll need to start making plans on building a shelter and gathering food." Graham nodded and quietly followed Tiara back to the camp site.

Lena and Leon looked up, as they came into view. "There you are," Lena beamed. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Tiara smiled, "Ok. Sorry to have run off and not be here to help."

Lena smiled, almost knowingly. "No, don't be, it's really no big deal." She leaned to Tiara and whispered, "I hope you at least mapped out some of the island in your head." She giggled and returned her attention to the food.

Tiara stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. "Just what did she mean by that?" she thought, "Oh, I get it. She thinks we were off doing, what we really were off doing." Tiara turned away from Lena, trying to hide the blush that was rushing over her face.

"It's ready," Lena said. Lena and Leon fixed up five plates and passed them around. Everyone sat down and ate quietly.

After breakfast, Tiara took charge. "Ok, we've got to start working on ensuring our way of living," she said. "Graham and Leon, the two of you will need to look for what you both agree on as the best spot to start building. Lena and I will use our powers to chop down a few trees, the four of us will then begin working on building a reasonable shelter." Everyone nodded. "Japolo, since moving lumbar won't be an easy task for you, I'm giving you another assignment. You're the smallest one here, which means you can move around easier than the rest of us. I need you to cover as much of the island as you can, map it out as much as possible, and make certain we're on a deserted island, that there aren't any natives. You don't have to, but it would be nice if you can come back with some of the fruit off the trees." Once again, everyone nodded.

Having agreed on their respective assignments, they split up. Graham and Leon began looking for the perfect place to build. Japolo took to the trees and began combing the island. Lena and Tiara went off in a different direction, agreeing to split up, once a little deeper in the forest.

"So, Tiara," Lena asked, "Just what where you two up to?"

Tiara sighed. "There's no point in denying what I already know you know, Lena. I left the camp, because I couldn't sleep Graham followed and tried to help me feel better." She blushed and smiled, "Let's just say I willingly gave Graham the one thing Kagetsu spent years trying to demand from me."

"Good for you, Tia…" Lena stopped and looked up. "Did I hear that right? What he tried to 'demand' from you!?"

Tiara sighed and nodded. "We both hid it rather well in public, didn't we?" she asked. "Everyone knew he was rather possessive over me, they just didn't know how badly. I think it had something to do with him being a Neutralizer. Being in tap with the Throne as strongly as he was, the darker side of his powers would sometimes show. He never managed to get very far, but there were a few occasions where I made him mad enough I had to stay locked inside my house for a week or so, in order to keep anyone from knowing what happened."

Lena's eyes widened. "I never would have though Kagetsu as the abusive sort?"

Tiara sighed. "He did his best not to be, but every so often, very rarely, he just couldn't control it. At first, I wasn't certain why he was like that, but, while fighting him inside the Throne, that's when I realized it. He'd once told me his powers were borrowed. The picture alone represented the evil of our world's power, and that's where he was receiving it. Sara was the embodiment of our world's good powers, and Neutralizers receive their power directly from the Throne. That's why it took him over so easily, once we were inside it."

Lena couldn't believe her ears, Tiara and Kagetsu had always been the picture-perfect couple, before Graham came along. "I hadn't realized, Tiara," she said. "I'm sorry to hear it. That explains why you had a little trouble fighting him, once there, but at the same time, it explains why you were so willing to catch him."

Tiara sighed. "Lena, promise me you won't say anything to the others. Especially not to Graham. You're the first person I've ever told, even Sara didn't know about it."

Lena sighed and nodded, "Ok, Tiara. I promise I won't tell. Something like that is better kept a secret. Besides, if Graham is as dedicated to you now as he was before, it'd kill him to hear such a thing."

Tiara smiled a smile of relief. "Thanks, Lena. I knew you'd understand."

Lena smiled and nodded. "What are friends for? Well, I guess I'd better get to work on finding some decent lumber. You going to be ok, by yourself?" Tiara nodded. "Alright then. Take your time. Out of all of us, you still have so much that's happened you need to clear from your head. Just don't stay gone too long, or Graham and Japolo will begin to worry about you."

Tiara smiled and nodded. "Sure, thanks. I'll try to be back by dark." Lena nodded in approval, and the two princesses headed their separate ways.

Tiara stood in the center of a large circle of chopped down trees, her eyes closed, and her hair and clothes blowing in the wind, a small black sphere formed between her hands. Her concentration was broken, when she heard someone behind her. "Who's there!?" she questioned, as the spell died out. She spun around to see who was behind her. Her jaw dropped open, and she stood there speechless.


	8. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 8

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflections**_

_Chapter 8:_

Once again, people, this is a fan-fic, not the real thing. So if you don't like how I portrayed Kagetsu in this chapter, I wanna' apologize now, before I get flamed. It's just after I watched the full series & saw the episodes with Graham, a friend of mine & me decided Graham, Tiara, and Leon were our favorites, and we _REALLY_ don't like Kagetsu that much anymore.

Tiara felt herself turning blue in the face. "K-KAGETSU!?" she gasped, taking a step backwards. "W-What are you doing here?"

Kagetsu smiled at her. "I came looking for you, Tiara," he said. "Thanks to you and Lena, the Elder couldn't hold me. I was allowed to choose my punishment, and chose banishment from the Guardian World."

Tiara stood, starring at him in disbelief. "Came looking for me? HOW'D YOU FIND ME!?"

Kagetsu frowned. "You don't sound happy to see me? I AM a neutralizer, Tiara. I've been in tap with your energy waves for years, now. Unless we end up with ten other people from our world in the same area, I'm the only one who knows how to find you."

Tiara didn't know what to say, what to think. "Well, you've found me," she said, coldly, "And if you wanted to find me to thank me, you're welcome!"

She turned away and started to walk off, but felt him grab her arm. "Tiara!?" he called out in confusion.

"Kagetsu," she said, sounding a bit shaken, "Let go!" She didn't turn back to face him, hoping he would let her go.

Kagetsu spun her around and looked her in the face. "Tiara, what's wrong with you?" he asked. "First, you leave the Guardian World, without so much as a word, and now you act like this?"

Tiara tried to push herself away from him. "Forget it, Kagetsu, you wouldn't understand," she said. All this jerking around caused her necklace to fly out of her shirt again.

Kagetsu recognized the jewel, instantly. "That's the jewel from HIS mask, isn't it? Is THAT what this is all about? Tiara, he's gone, you have to forget about him and move on."

Tiara glared at him. "Is he, really, Kagetsu?" she asked, flatly. "Tell me just WHAT did happen that day, why don't you? Did you fight Graham off in self defense, when he tried to stop you from steeling the Throne, or did you become so bitterly jealous of the idea that you were leaving me behind with a guy for a partner, that you just had to get rid of him?"

Kagetsu staggered back a bit in disbelief that Tiara would even make such an accusation. "I knew I should have erased your memories of him before I left," he mumbled.

Tiara's eyes widened at this. "WHICH WAS IT, KAGETSU!?" she demanded.

Kagetsu pushed his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temple. "I DID fight back in self defense. However, the fact that he knew what I was doing wasn't the only reason I got rid of him. I knew I couldn't have him running back to tell anyone what I'd done. But, I couldn't leave you with a man like him, in my absence, Tiara."

"Why not, Kagetsu?" Tiara asked, sarcastically. "You mind telling me what your true purpose for sending Graham away was?" She stuffed the necklace back in her shirt.

"What I saw in that man was an explosive temper. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving your fate in the hands of someone like that," he explained. "I could already tell your heart was beginning to waver," he thought, to himself.

"Like you really cared about that! What, you actually thought Graham's temper was any worse than your own!?" Tiara shrieked.

"W-Wha…?" Kagetsu looked at her in shock.

Tiara was fuming. "That's what it is, isn't it!? I can't believe you actually thought GRAHAM would ever raise a hand to me!?"

"Well, we both know just how masochistic you really are, Tiara," Kagetsu answered, his voice sounding slightly darker than normal.

Tiara glared at him and slapped him as hard as possible. "SO! You DO remember when that happened!? I was safer with Graham than with you," she huffed. "I can't believe you! I bet you even knew he wasn't really dead!"

Kagetsu's eyes widened, his voice returned to normal. "H-How would you know whether or not he's still alive!?"

Tiara glared at him. "Kagetsu, tell me the truth! Did you, or did you not know that Graham was still alive? You didn't kill him, you sent him back to his own world."

"How do you know that?" he asked again. He stopped and looked at her. "He's here, isn't he?"

Tiara nodded. "That's right, he's here. So, if you care anything about me, or for your own safety, you'll leave me be! Once everything was said and done, I realized the relationship between you and me had nothing left to offer, the thought of being happy with you was just too awkward. I've found a place where I can start over with a new slate, and with Graham at my side. I'm sorry, Kagetsu, but the magic between us just isn't there any more. Maybe it never really was. If you hadn't done what you did, things might have worked out different."

Kagetsu almost retorted her with, "But then you wouldn't have found out about Sara, or gotten Japolo, either," but the look on Tiara's face was enough to keep his mouth shut. "Tiara," he sighed. "I'm sorry it had to happen this way. I really was worried about leaving you with him, knowing his temper. I went easy on him, for your sake. Rather than killing him, I sent him back to his own world, back to the family you'd stolen him from, but I knew I couldn't let you know he was still alive. I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me for letting you think him dead, as it was. I figured if you knew I merely sent him away, you'd kill me for sure."

Tiara turned away from Kagetsu. "In that case, thanks for nothing! It seems between the two of you, Graham's the only one that's ever taken action while thinking about my feelings!"

"I only made one mistake," he sighed. She stopped and glanced back at him. "I didn't have time to erase his memories, either." He looked at Tiara. "You know I've always loved you, Tiara. However, I've always been under the opinion that if I couldn't have you, then no man could."

Tiara turned and looked back at him, she felt a sudden twinge of fear surge through her body. She was sensing a strong energy emanating from him. "K-Kagetsu…? When the Throne over took you…?"

He smiled, evilly, "That's right, Tiara, my dear. My powers have been borrowed from the Throne. When it over took me, it left a part of it's dark energy inside me. I could have used it to destroy the entire Guardian World, but I used it to hunt you down."

Tiara took a step back, putting a hand over her mouth, as she gasped. That was exactly what she feared. The image from her nightmare came back to her mind. She shook her head. "No, Kagetsu! It's through between us! I won't let you try to frighten me out of the decision! Leave, now!" She through an energy ball at him, to try and distract him, then took off running.

Japolo jumped down from a tree, landing on a stump behind Graham. Leon had left to give Lena a hand in moving some of the lumbar she'd cut down. Japolo had tried to bring back some fruit, as asked, by dragging it in a small sack. One of the harder, round fruits dropped out of the bag, as Japolo jumped and hit Graham on his head. "Ouch!" Graham grumbled, rubbing the top of his head. He looked over at Japolo, trying not to yell at the furry creature. "Be careful, will ya'?"

Japolo ignored him and sighed, looking around. "Where has Tiara gotten off too? I swear, that girl's a handful."

"She's probably on her way back," Graham sighed. "You should lay off, she can take care of herself."

Japolo looked over at Graham. "Lay off? Hmph! How rude! Just because you were her partner first, doesn't mean you have the right to talk to me in such a tone."

Graham glared at Japolo. "Yeah, but because you ARE her partner now, you shouldn't talk to her the way you do. She's trying to be patient with you, but she could easily break you into pieces if you angered her enough. You'd better watch yourself, or you'll end up our emergency food supply," he threatened.

Japolo snorted. "Tiara really needs to rethink her taste in men. She keeps getting you strong boys with hot tempers. Useless girl must be a masochist."

Graham dropped everything and spun around, snatching Japolo off the stump she was sitting on. "Don't you EVER talk about her like that again!" he snarled. For the first time, ever, Japolo actually felt scared for her life.

Tiara continued running through the forest. She'd not had the chance to regroup with anyone, so she didn't know where they had decided to start building. She tried to head back for where they'd set up camp the night, before, hoping she'd run into somebody, or at least that all the trees would keep Kagetsu from figuring out where she'd run off to. When she got to the camp site, nobody was there, so she turned and darted off in the other direction, back into the forest. "They've got to be here, somewhere," she thought. It wasn't long before she came up on Graham and Japolo. "Graham!" she called out, as soon as they were in sight.

Both of them looked up. "Tiara," Japolo called out, "He's trying to kill me!"

Tiara kept running toward them. "Graham, put the ferret down, you can kill her later," she shouted. "We've got bigger problems!"

"Well, thanks a lot for the support," Japolo grumbled.

Graham dropped Japolo, and went to Tiara, meeting her halfway. "Tiara, what's wrong?" he asked, as she flung her arms around him.

Tiara looked back, gasping for breath, for the moment, it seemed as though she'd lost her pursuer. "Do, do either of you know where Lena or Leon are?" she huffed. Graham and Japolo both shook their heads. "Leon's supposed to be helping Lena gather the wood she'd cut. Why? Tiara? What's going on?"

"What did you do, this time, girl?" Japolo asked, sarcastically. Graham and Tiara both glared at Japolo, who shrunk back and decided to be quiet.

"Graham," Tiara whimpered, "It's… It's Kagetsu. They let him leave the Guardian World. He's here on the island, somewhere! I've lost him for the moment, it seems."

Japolo and Graham both raised and eyebrow. Not knowing that Kagetsu had a recent violent history, nor what happened to him after his merger with the Throne had ended, neither of them could understand why Tiara would run from him. Graham felt Tiara trembling in his arms. "I'm sure she has her reasons for running," he thought. He hugged her. "It's ok, Tiara," he consoled her.

Tiara was lost in her own thoughts. "He had that look on his face again," she thought in horror, "That same look that he had the last two times he lost his control of the power of the Throne that flows through him… When he lost his temper with me. But, this time, he looked so much more sinister before… I… I can't go back to him, and I can't let him and Graham come face to face, they could kill each other."

Kagetsu's voice rang through the air, startling Tiara out her thoughts. "Is it really ok, Graham?" he asked, sounding very sinister.

Tiara's eyes widened, as she turned her head to look at the spot she'd just left the forest from. "K-Kagetsu," she said. "How'd you catch up so fast?"

Kagetsu smiled, "I told you I'm in tune to your energy waves. I can track you down, no matter where you go, Tiara, my dear."

Tiara spun around, keeping a firm grip on Graham's shirt with one of her hands. "Kagetsu, I've already told you once!" she shouted. "It's over, leave me be!"

Kagetsu smiled. "Is that a tear in your eye, Tiara?" he asked. "You always were quite the crybaby. Is it really that hard for you to lie about your feelings?"

Tiara glared at him. "I'm not lying about anything!" She felt Graham's hand gently grab the hand she still had clenched to his shirt. She turned and looked at him. "G-Graham…?" she asked, softly.

Graham gently pulled her hand off his shirt. "Tiara, please. If he's too stubborn to listen to you, let me handle this."

Tiara's eyes widened and she shook her head, "Graham, no!"

Kagetsu leaned against the tree behind him, his hands on his thighs. "Yes, let him handle it, Tiara. Apparently he's still under the spell that leaves him nothing but a loyal puppy under your control. This'll give me the chance to rectify the mistake I made last time."

Graham looked up at Kagetsu and growled. "You've got some nerve talking to her like that!"

"Graham," Tiara said, grabbing his wrist, hoping she could hold him back.

Kagetsu smiled. "Just as fowl tempered as ever, I see, Graham. Let him go, Tiara, this should be fun."

"No!" Tiara shouted. "I won't let the two of you fight! Kagetsu, please. If you ever truly cared for me, please leave."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Tiara," Kagetsu said. "I refused to leave you in the clutches of this beast-boy once before, what makes you think I've changed my mind."

Graham started to move forward, but Tiara still had hold of his hand and he felt his arm tug, when he moved. He looked back and saw the worry in Tiara's face. "Tiara?" he whispered, softly, "Is there a reason you don't want me to fight him? You know I can handle him."

Tiara shook her head. "No, I don't know that anymore, Graham. He's much stronger than the last time you saw him, but I'm not sure how much stronger. It might take all of us to fight him." Kagetsu took advantage of Graham's guard being dropped and attacked. "No, Graham, look out!" Tiara shrieked, letting go of Graham's hand and jumping back.

Graham spun around, just in time to block Kagetsu's attack. Kagetsu glared at Graham. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," he said in disgust.

"I was about to say the same for you," Graham said, pushing Kagetsu off.

Tiara stood and starred in horror as the only two men that had ever meant anything to her began to fight. "Why, why did this have to happen?" she thought. "They'll kill each other!" This time, it was Graham who had to strike out in self defense. Luckily enough, Graham was fast enough to doge any energy attacks Kagetsu tried to use, leaving both of them to have to fight with their fist, instead. Tiara felt herself being torn apart inside as she helplessly watched them fight. "No, STOP IT!" she begged. "Kagetsu, STOP!" Everyone was too distracted by the fight to notice that Lena and Leon had come into the clearing, to the top of the hill. Lena froze in shock at the sight below them. Tiara knew she couldn't let them continue fighting, but she had no clue how to stop them. She threw a weak energy ball to try and hinder Kagetsu's ability to recover from dodging Graham's next blow. When that didn't work, she tried the only other thing that came to her mind. Without so much as a second thought, she jumped between them, hoping they'd both back off. "I SAID STOP!" she shouted. Graham stopped dead in his tracks, but Kagetsu had already launched an energy attack, and Tiara was directly in the line of fire. The energy ball hit Tiara at full force and threw her backwards. She flew three or four trees, knocking them all down, before she finally hit one sturdy enough to withstand the blow. She fell to the ground unconscious, a large indent on the tree she'd hit.

Graham immediately disregarded the fight with Kagetsu and ran to her side. "Tiara!" he called out, running over to her. Japolo stood dumbfounded at what just happened, too frightened to move. Lena also remained frozen, she didn't know which had surprised her more, seeing Kagetsu on the island, or seeing him knock Tiara unconscious. Her eyes widened at the sight, and all she could do was put a trembling hand over her mouth, which was hanging open.

The consequences of Kagetsu's reactions set in and he managed to retake control of the dark energy flowing through him. He shook his head, as he snapped back to sanity. "Oh holly hell, what have I done," he said in horror. "Tiara!?" He started to run over to where Tiara had fallen. Graham was frantically trying to get a response out of her. Leon jumped between them and Kagetsu, posed as though he were ready to fight if the circumstances called for it. Kagetsu stopped and looked at Leon in surprise. "L-Leon…?" he asked, sounding confused. He looked up and saw Lena, still starring at him in shock. "Lena!? W-What are you doing here?" He hadn't sensed their presence at all.

Leon didn't move. "It might be best if you leave," he suggested flatly. "We'll take care of her."

"I can't leave her like that," Kagetsu said.

Lena shook her head and jumped down beside her love. "Kagetsu," she said coldly, "LEAVE! I doubt Tiara would want to see you after you did this to her. I promise we'll take care of her. But she won't want to talk to you, when she wakes up."

Kagetsu sighed. "Alright, but I'll be back to see if she's doing better."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lena said. She turned to see Kagetsu was already halfway through a portal. She sighed unhappily. "He'll be coming back, and I'm afraid of what'll happen when he does."

Leon looked at Lena questionably. "What was that all about?"

"I can't tell you," Lena sighed, turning back to Graham and Tiara. "She told me something that happened between them once before and made me promise not to say anything. I'm afraid this might be some of the aftermath of that. But that's all I can say."

Leon nodded in understanding. Graham, who had his arms wrapped around Tiara's waist and the back of her head, looked up at Lena, for a brief moment, almost ready to beg her to tell him what she was talking about. But before he could say anything, he felt Tiara move. He quickly turned his attention back to her. "Tiara?" he whispered. She didn't open her eyes, but she groaned.

Lena sighed. "Leon, go back to the camp site and bring me some sheets and a blanket." She looked up at the logs she and Leon had already drug up. "Graham, you stay with her. I'm going to do my best to fix a make-shift bed for her." Graham and Leon both nodded. Leon hurried back to the camp site and gathered as much as he could carry, just incase anything else should be needed, and returned. Lena couldn't make a full bed, but she managed to make something they could lay Tiara on to keep her off the ground. "Ok," she sighed, "Whether we get a shelter built or not, if she's not better by tonight, I'm hopping worlds and buying her a real bed." Leon returned with the stuff and handed Lena the sheet and blanket she'd asked for. Lena threw the sheet across the wooden 'slab' and then set a pillow on it. "Graham, bring her over here." Graham gently lifted Tiara off the ground and carried her over to the wooden slab. He gently laid her down. Lena then covered Tiara with the blanket. She turned back and began digging through the other bags Leon had brought back. "Glad I thought to bring a first aid kit," she said. "Graham, you first. That's a nasty cut on your arm. Kagetsu must have used a close range energy attack on you." She took some peroxide and a small piece of cotton. She gently applied it to Graham's arm. He slightly shuddered in pain from the sting. She then set her hand just an inch over Graham's arm. A small black dome of energy formed between his arm and her hand, she gently ran her hand from one end of the wound to the other. Almost instantly, the wound was gone, not even leaving behind a scar. "Well, that takes care of you." She looked back at Tiara. "Unfortunately, Tiara won't be so easy to heal." She looked back at Graham and Leon. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask the two of you to leave for a moment. I need to remove her clothes in order to make sure I bandage all her wounds."

They both nodded, once more and left. "Damn him," Graham grumbled, once they were out of Lena's earshot. "If he'd just left when Tiara asked him to, this wouldn't have happened."

Leon raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Kagetsu started it, even after Tiara had asked him to leave?"

Graham nodded. "She didn't want me to fight him. She said he was stronger than before. She begged him to leave, and me not to fight. I had no choice, though. He attacked first."

Leon sighed. "I never knew Kagetsu was so stubborn. It's odd, though. That look on his face, just before he realized what had happened. It's almost like that wasn't him fighting you at all. I've never seen him look like that, not even when the Throne had over took him."

Graham looked at Leon, "Don't make excuses for him…" He stopped, as it hit him what Leon really was trying to say. "You think it's got something to do with that?"

Leon nodded. "That's the only thing I can think of." He sighed. "Unfortunately, Miss Tiara's the only person who knows for certain what's going on."

Lena pulled the cover back off Tiara and slowly removed her clothes. She gasped, seeing Tiara was actually scratched up worse than they'd thought. "Oh, Tiara, you poor thing, he got you good." The area where the energy ball had hit was badly bruised, cut open, and bleeding. There were wood splinters all over Tiara's body, as well as cuts and bruises. Lena quickly began removing the splinters and disinfecting all of Tiara's open wounds. She then bandaged her more serious wounds and healed the smaller ones. "Tiara, you have to pull through this, or we'll never forgive you!" she said as she slipped a new outfit onto the unconscious princess.


	9. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 9

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflections**_

_Chapter 9:_

**Days Later**

They had finally completed building the shelter. Lena had managed to do an excellent job of taking charge in Tiara's absence and tried her best to appoint fair and impartial jobs to everyone. She gave Graham very few, and very short tasks to handle, understanding that he wanted to be by Tiara's side, until she woke up.

Graham sat beside Tiara's bed. He'd hardly slept since Tiara had been injured. Lena had been changing the bandages on Tiara's wounds daily, but the wound from Kagetsu's energy blast still hadn't completely stopped bleeding. Tiara lay there motionless, for a moment, then began to moan. Graham looked up at her. "No, not again," he sighed. Tiara began to toss and turn, and scream. "Another nightmare…" He gently grabbed her hands hand held them down for a brief moment, trying not to let her injure herself any farther. He then gently slipped and arm under her and scooped her into a sitting position. He sat on the bed beside her and hugged her, laying her head on his chest. Almost instantly, she seemed to calm down.

"Now, that's unconditional love," Lena said. Graham looked up. "I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

Graham shook his head. "I just didn't hear the door open."

Japolo was on the floor next to Lena. "What did you mean by that, Lena?" she asked.

Lena smiled and giggled. "I'm talking about the fact that he could calm her so easily. Before she sealed her Shadow Entity, Tiara discovered something about her powers, that she probably never should have. I don't even know what she found out, but it temporarily drove her insane. It took Kagetsu and Sara both to calm her. Having heard what happened to her, I decided to never research what Tiara had discovered. But, where it took two people to calm Tiara from that, she becomes calm, just from feeling Graham's touch. It seems she only has these nightmares when she's uncertain we're near. If she hears us talking, or feels Graham's arms around her, she's just as peaceful as can be."

Graham sighed. "She'd had one, before Kagetsu showed up, too," he said. "I woke up and saw she'd left the camp site and went to find her. She said she'd woke up from a nightmare about Kagetsu. Knowing that, I can't help but wonder what's running through her mind when she has these fits."

Lena nodded. "I know… I wish I knew there was a way to help her dispel her nightmares. I think it's been hard on all of us to see her like this." Lena walked over to the bed, she had a small roll of bandages in her hand. She sat on the bed, on the other side of Tiara and sighed. "It's trying to bleed through again. I'm beginning to think that's why she's unable to heal, she tosses and turns too with these nightmares. I'm glad you're able to calm her like you are, Graham. Otherwise, I'd have to tie her down, and that might only make things worse on her."

Graham gently hugged Tiara closer to him. "My poor Tiara," he thought, "I couldn't do anything to keep this from happening." He knew Lena was about to ask him to leave so she could change Tiara's bandages again. "Lena?" he asked quietly. "Would it be alright if I stayed and helped you, this time?"

Lena sighed and smiled. "I don't see why not. As a matter of fact, if you'd like, I'll let you do this yourself and then I can get started on making lunch."

Graham nodded. "That'd be fine."

Lena smiled and handed him the bandages. "Alright, then, here you go." She stood up and headed back to the door. "Japolo, come along. I might can use your help."

Japolo reluctantly followed Lena out of the room. "What'd you do that for?" Japolo asked, once they were a little way down the hallway.

Lena giggled. "You worry about Tiara more than you're willing to let on, Japolo. She's fine with him in there. It's the same way for Graham about Tiara as it is for Leon with me," she said, walking into the kitchen and digging around to decide on what to fix. "He cares too much to do anything he'd regret later. He'd never raise a hand to her, and he'd never force himself on her, no matter how helpless she may seem. He couldn't live with himself if he did. You see, Tiara realized one thing that really is true about our summoning powers. There weren't many men in the Guardian World, and all those born in the Guardian World are Neutralizers. I really only remember meeting at least three guys our age, when we were young. All of them had girlfriends, and the rest of us girls clamored over them. Tiara actually made quite a few enemies in the Guardian World for having won Kagetsu's heart. That's why when we princesses summon our partners, we usually summon humanoid males. The power of our summons actually puts them under a slight spell that makes them so devoted to us that they'd rather throw themselves in the line of fire if it meant keeping us alive. Most of us never pay attention to that fact, though. It's fate that all male partners fall in love with their summoning princess. It's sad, to think of it like that, but as long as the princess shows any sign of care for the partner, they could care less whether their summoner loves them or not."

Japolo nodded. "I see. I wonder if that's why Tiara chose to summon me instead of another human."

Lena smiled. "That might be the case. Perhaps, she realized it subconsciously after Graham disappeared, and decided not to risk the same thing twice." She glanced back at the hallway and sighed. "Poor Graham never had the chance to forget her once he was sent away. Tiara's spell over him was never completely broken." She turned back to what she was doing. "I just hope Leon never has to go through anything like this," she thought.

Graham gently removed Tiara's shirt and blood stained bandage. He slightly blushed, seeing his beloved princess wasn't wearing anything other than the bandages under her shirt. He shook the blush away and continued removing the bandages. "That's why she kept asking us to leave," he thought. He finished removing the old bandages. For the first time, he saw just how badly Tiara had been injured from Kagetsu's attack. She was still visibly bruised. The area was, indeed, still bleeding, but it looked as though it was trying to heal. He froze, starring at the sight. "Or is that why she wanted me to leave?" he thought. "She let this happen to her, just to keep us from fighting…? What was she thinking?" He sighed and began wrapping the new bandages around Tiara. Before putting her shirt back on her, he hugged her up again and gently kissed her lips. "Please hurry and get better, Tiara," he whispered. He then slipped her shirt back on her.

Lena came back to the door, and gently pushed it open. She had a small tray in her hand. "I'll set this over here on the dresser until you're ready for it." She sat down the tray and left the room.

Japolo stayed behind and jumped on the bed, next to Tiara. "She's tough," she said. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon."

Graham looked at Japolo. "What's she up to?" he thought. Japolo usually started some sort of argument, when she and Graham were in the same room.

Japolo sighed. "I guess I'm not a very good judge of character," she admitted. "I was more worried about her than I was willing to admit. I was worried about leaving Tiara with you, about her integrity. I never thought about how hard it's been for the two of you."

Graham smiled. "She'd said you were stubborn, but that you'd still come through when you were needed. Apology accepted."

Kagetsu sat, by himself, floating in the void between worlds. He'd been waiting for Tiara to wake up. He wanted to go back and apologize to her for what he'd done. He opened a small window to Tiara's room. He could use the window to watch her, without being noticed by anyone else. "I have to wait until she's alone," he sighed. "They'd never let me see her." He glared angrily at the sight before him. Graham was keeping a close watch over Tiara. He'd already seen Graham calm Tiara from one of her nightmares before. Seeing that only made him even more jealous of Graham. If he'd opened the window in time to see Graham changing Tiara's bandages, or knew what had already happened between Tiara and Graham, he probably would have been more upset.

"Why did she jump between us?" he sighed. "She let this happen to herself. Which one of us was she really trying to protect?" He shook his head. "What am I saying!? I can't blame her. Why, why couldn't I control myself? I should have left when she said and tried to come back and talk to her later. Tiara, I can't give up on you, not that easily. I still love you."

Kagetsu felt the dark energy begin to surge through him, once more. He quickly closed the window. He struggled to try and keep the energy under control. "NO!" his voice once again turned dark and deep. "I have to get her away from him! I can't leave her with him."

Kagetsu shouted in pain as he again tried to fight back the energy surging through him. "Why…? I'm a neutralizer, the strongest one from the Guardian World… So, why is it that I can't neutralize the dark energy flowing through me left behind by the Throne?" he thought, as he forced the energy back under control. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and fell to his knees. Holding back these surges were taking a lot out of him. The flow of energy ebbed and died.

Tiara lay, floating in a void of darkness. "Where am I?" she said. "Everything happened so fast, I don't remember what happened. I wish I knew what was going on. This place is so cold and lonely. I keep seeing these horrifying images, but then they suddenly disappear. Could I be dreaming all this?"

She looked around. There was nothing to give her an idea of where she was. "How long have I been here? It feels like days. I'm the only one here, so why do these images keep coming and going? Could it be that I was knocked unconscious during Graham and Kagetsu's fight? That would explain a lot."

She sighed and held her hand over her heart. "Graham, I feel you near me, at least… That's good. That means you're still ok. I must be in a coma." She groaned, feeling a pain in her side, from her wound. "Yes, that's got to be what happened! Graham, please wait for me, I'll return to you, soon."

She smiled. "Now I understand. These images are more nightmares. While Graham can't be in this void to protect me, he's still watching over me. He promised he'd always protect me, no matter what."

She sighed, once more. "Still as loyal as ever." She smiled and giggled a little, "I'll have to reward him, when I've recovered my full strength."

The next day, Tiara groaned and turned her head to the side. Lena, who was sitting by the bed looked up at her. "Tiara?" she whispered.

Tiara moaned and opened her eyes. "L-Lena…?" she gasped.

"Tiara, oh thank goodness, you're awake!" Lena sighed in relief. "You've been out for almost a whole week."

Tiara remained still, but moved her eyes in order to look around. "Where…?"

Lena smiled. "We managed to finish building the shelter, here on the island. I knew transporting you anywhere would be too dangerous."

Tiara looked back at Lena and blinked. "What happened, that day, Lena? All I remember Graham and Kagetsu fighting each other."

Lena frowned. "You jumped between them, Tiara," she said. "You don't remember that?"

Tiara shook her head. "Vaguely," she sighed, putting her hand to her forehead.

"You had us all worried," Lena sighed. "You jumped between them, begging them to stop. Seeing you there, Graham froze, not wanting to hurt you. But, Kagetsu had already thrown an energy attack. You broke a few trees before you hit the ground."

Tiara's eyes widened. "I WHAT!?" She sighed, sounding rather distraught, "I thought he seemed much stronger…" She jumped to a sitting position. "Wait a minute! What happened next!? Where's Graham!?" She'd moved to a sitting position too quickly, and as soon as she'd managed to get out her concerns, the wound on her side hit her. She doubled over, gasping in pain, wrapping her arms around herself.

"No," Lena said, gently grabbing Tiara's shoulders. "You shouldn't move yet! You're still too weak. Graham's fine. We've had to change your bandages so often that I was running out. I gave Graham an enchanted charm to allow him to teleport. I asked him to go buy some new ones. He should be back before long. I've barely managed to get him to leave your side, the whole time. I thought it would be best for him to get out for a little while."

Tiara sighed and smiled. "As long as he's alright."

The door to the room swung open, and Graham walked in. He stopped and starred for a moment. "Tiara…?" he said happily.

Lena smiled. "I figured he'd be glad to see you. I'll let you two talk. Graham, if she'll let you, you can change her bandages again." She winked and left the room.

"Again?" Tiara asked, sounding more amused than anything.

Graham went over to the bed and threw his arms around her, trying his best to be careful not to upset her injuries. "Tiara, thank goodness you're ok!"

Tiara smiled and gently wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Graham."

"Why'd you do it, Tiara?" he asked. "I know you didn't want us to fight, but there was no choice in the matter."

Tiara smiled. "I'm sorry, Graham. I know you had no choice, but I couldn't stand to watch. I wasn't thinking, when I did it. I just barely remember jumping between the two of you. But, I know why I did it." She laid her head on his chest, and smiled, hearing his heartbeat. She gently clutched onto his shirt. "Kagetsu took you from me, before, Graham," she sighed, tearfully. "I couldn't loose you again. I didn't mean for this to happen, though. I just wanted to stop the two of you from fighting. I didn't mean to become such a burden."

"Tiara…" He sighed and gently kissed her, forehead, running a hand through one of her pigtails. "Right now all that matters is that you're ok." She looked up at him, and smiled.

"Graham," she sighed. "Thank you. Lena said you stayed by me all this time. I could feel you close by. When the nightmares came, I felt a sudden calmness come over me. I knew that was you."

Graham smiled. "You were worried about my well-being when this happened. The least I could do was watch over you."

She smiled and gently tugged on his shirt, pulling him down, so she could reach him. She pushed her lips to his. "Just wait until I've regained my strength, love," she whispered, teasingly. She smiled and lightly giggled as Graham blushed, knowing what she meant. "Now then, I guess I'd better let you tend to my bandages, hadn't I?"

Graham smiled and nodded. He slipped her shirt off and began unwrapping the bandages. Tiara smiled, when she saw how the bandages had been wrapped, they were loose enough to allow her breathing space, but wrapped where her barren breasts were held so they wouldn't move when she began struggling with her nightmares. She could only imagine that Graham was the last one to dress her wounds, for her to be wrapped like that. She looked and frowned, as Graham uncovered the wound. "This is it?" she asked. "This little scratch is what kept me out for so long? You mean Sara couldn't heal it by herself?"

Graham shook his head. "It was actually a lot bigger, when it first happened. She said it was too big to even try and use her healing powers on it, then. She did what she could, every day after that, but your struggles aggravated it."

"Oh, I see," she said, quietly. She held her hand just an inch above the wound. A small black dome appeared and the wound closed. She gasped and hunched over in pain, feeling a bit week from the use of her energy.

Graham gently caught hold of her shoulders. "Tiara?"

She smiled. "It's ok," she assured him. "I'm still a bit weak from lack of food. I managed to close off the wound, but the pain'll probably still be with me for a few more days." She looked at the bruise on. "And this bruise probably will be there even longer…" She smiled at Graham. "I won't be needing the bandages after all. But, I would like a change in clothes." Graham nodded and went over to her dresser and pulled out her red outfit. She smiled. "That one will work." Graham dug out a bra and took the outfit over to her.

"Here you go, Tiara."

Tiara smiled and took the clothes from him. "Thanks, Graham." She didn't have much trouble putting on the shirt, but to change into the pants, she found she required Graham's assistance to get out of the bed long enough to do so. She wobbled, after she'd put her pants on, and fell backwards into Graham's arms. She groaned and held her hand to her head.

"Tiara, are you sure you'll be ok?" he asked.

She nodded. "I just need to eat something, and I'm sure I'll be fine." She couldn't explain it, but, the wound still seemed to be bothering her more than it should be. She figured it would still bother her for a while, but it shouldn't feel like this. Between her and Lena, the wound should have been sterilized before closing up, but for some reason, it felt as though something wasn't right with it. There was an internal pain, as though something from Kagetsu's attack were still there inside her. She tried to ignore it, thinking it was only her imagination. "I just need to regain my strength. This will pass," she thought to herself, "I can't let this get me down. I have to be strong."


	10. Tiara And Graham's Reflections Chapter 1...

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 10_

**(Two Or Three Days Later)**

Tiara walked outside the store and yawned. "Ok, that's enough shopping for one day. I'd better head back." She had two small bags in tow. She hadn't told the others, but her injury was still causing slight problems. Because of that, she was trying to be careful not to overdo things. "I probably should have stayed home and tried to finish healing," she thought to herself, "But I spent the past two days locked up in the house, as it is. I wanted to get out." She sighed and started to walk off. She turned a corner, ready to open the portal in order to leave, but stopped. She felt someone was following her. She slowly turned around and sighed. "What a surprise," she thought, sarcastically, "A small group of guys, probably too desperate to go out and find a girl of their own." She sighed and looked at the guys. "Can I help you boys with something?" she asked, sounding a little annoyed. She could already hear the corny pick up line coming a mile away.

"We were wondering what a beautiful girl such as yourself was doing out in this side of town, all by yourself," one of them answered.

Tiara put a hand to her forehead. "Figures! I expected as much," she thought.

"You look like you belong in the richer part of town," a second one said.

"We were wondering if you'd like help with those bags," the third said. "And if, maybe, you were free tonight."

Tiara rolled her eyes, thinking, "Oh, I don't believe this!" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm flattered boys, and appreciate the offer, but… I'm not going far, and I'm already spoken for." She started to walk away, hoping to find an isolated area so she could warp.

The first guy walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, come on now, a girl such as yourself shouldn't be out her alone. You might get yourself hurt."

The look on Tiara's face went from patient to very annoyed. "I tried being nice…" She grabbed the guys wrist. "Why is it that guys can't ever take a hint?" With one quick swoop, she yanked the boy over her shoulder. "NO MEANS NO!" She released the boy's wrist and he went flying past her, hitting the wall. Her side started hurting. She grabbed her side and sank to her knees. "Sh-Shouldn't have done that…," she groaned. "Too much, too soon…"

The three guys stood starring at her for a moment. "What the hell?" they exclaimed in unison.

"Grr… Bitch! Serves you right!" the first one said, as he tried to push himself off the wall.

Another voice rang out from behind them. "I believe the lady wishes to be left alone."

Everyone looked up to see the speaker. "Who the hell are you? This is none of your business," the second boy said.

Tiara gasped. "L-Leon…?"

Leon smiled and pushed his way between them, and over to Tiara. "Miss Tiara, are you alright?" He helped her back to her feet. "You really should have brought someone with you. You're not well enough to do anything too strenuous."

Tiara smiled, "Thanks for your concern, Leon. Did you come alone, or are Graham and Lena with you?"

"Graham came with me," Leon answered.

"Good, let's go find him and head home," Tiara said.

Leon nodded and took the bags from her. "Here, let me carry those. Graham'd have my head if I let you carry them in your condition." Tiara smiled and nodded, allowing him to take the bags. He let her lean on him, for support, seeing that her side seemed to still be bothering her. They started to leave. The other guys stood there, in dismay, for a moment, before following them.

"Not a good idea," Tiara warned, when she realized the three boys were behind them again. They turned the corner. Tiara smiled. "Graham!"

Graham turned and smiled. When Lena gave him the charm that allowed him to teleport, she also made it so that he could take on a more human version of his form, hiding his wolf ears from others. "There you are," he sighed. "…? Are you ok?"

Tiara nodded. "I'm fine. I just need to get home and rest."

"First things first," Leon sighed. "We seem to have a few trouble makers who refuse to stop tagging along behind. We'll have to loose them."

Tiara frowned, "Are they still following us?" Just as she said that, the three boys turned the corner. Tiara looked down the other end of the alley and sighed. "Great, a dead end." She looked back at Graham and Leon. "I can't let the two of you fight them. You're too strong for them. Even in my weakened state, I managed to throw one over my shoulders." She held up one of her arms. "I guess I've only got one choice left." A small black orb leapt from her hand it shattered into a dust cloud over their pursuers and knocked the three boys unconscious. "That'll have to sustain for now, let's go." Graham gently picked Tiara up in his arms, while Leon opened the portal.

Lena was just finishing up in the kitchen, when Tiara and the boys returned. "There you three are," she said happily. "You couldn't have timed yourselves any better. Dinner's just about ready to be served."

Tiara smiled as Graham sat her back on her feet. "Great, I'm starved."

After they finished dinner, Tiara left the table and took the bags back to her room. She had treated herself to a few new outfits and wanted to try them on. She shut the door and pulled one of the outfits out of the bag. It was a pink top, with a matching mini-skirt. She took off her red outfit and slipped on the skirt. Once more, she sank to her knees, holding her side. "Damn!" she muttered. "Kagetsu, what the hell did you do to me? Is this what you intended to happen to Graham…?" There was a knock at her door. She turned her head to face the door and tried to hide the sound of pain in her voice. "Who is it?"

Graham's voice came from the other side of the door. "Tiara, can I come in?"

Tiara sighed. "Just a minute!" she called out. She forced herself back up and slipped on the top. "Ok, Graham, you can come in now!" The door swung open. Tiara smiled. "What do you think?"

Graham looked her over and smiled, shutting the door behind him. "That's why you left the table so suddenly. I looks great on you."

Tiara smiled and giggled. "I'd hoped you'd like it." She wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to make it obvious that she was holding her side. However, she couldn't fool Graham.

"It's still bothering you, isn't it?" he asked, walking over to her.

Tiara sighed. "Yes, but I don't know why. All that's left is the bruise. I expected it to be a little sore, but I didn't expect it to hurt like it does." Graham gently took her in his arms and pulled her down on her bed. "Graham, what are you doing?"

He gently pulled up her shirt, just enough that he could see the bruise on her side. "I don't quite understand it, either," he sighed. "Bruises are supposed to get lighter as time passes, until they fade. However, this one seems to have gotten darker."

Tiara's eyes widened. "It what!?" She looked down, she hadn't noticed it before. "You're right? What in the world?"

Graham pulled her shirt back down and sat next to her on the bed. "Tiara, you've got to stop being so rough on yourself. You probably aggravated it when you threw that guy."

Tiara sighed and nodded. "I know, but what was I supposed to do?" she thought. She gently laid her head on Graham's lap and curled into a ball. Graham smiled and gently placed a hand on the top of the back of her head. "I guess you're right Graham," she sighed. "I tried to convince myself I was well off enough to at least get out for a while. I hate to think I'm a burden on the rest of you." She yawned and snuggled closer to him. "But, at the same time, I'd rather it be me going through this, than you," she thought.

Graham gently pulled her up, to where her head was resting on his chest and lightly kissed her. He didn't know what to say, he, of course, didn't like the fact that she was in the condition she was in, but at the same time, he didn't really mind having to take care of her, but he knew he couldn't speak for the other three. He didn't have to say anything, though, feeling his arms around her was all Tiara needed to help calm her down. Before he could say a word, she'd already fallen fast asleep. He sighed and smiled. "You're no burden at all," he whispered, gently pulling the covers over her. "I'll always do what I can to take care of you."

Tiara awoke, the next morning, feeling much better than she had when she'd fallen asleep. She smiled and blushed slightly, to find that she was still gently wrapped in Graham's arms. She looked down and smiled again, seeing that Japolo was fast asleep at the foot of the bed. She quietly, and slowly slipped off the bed, trying not to disturb them. "I guess they were watching over me, last night," she thought to herself. She looked back at the bed, "Or at least I hope that's what was happening. I'd hate to think Japolo had reverted back to being suspicious of Graham and came in here to make sure nothing happened."

Tiara slipped out of the room and went into the kitchen. She needed something to drink, as her mouth felt rather dry. She poured herself a small cup of milk and sat at the table. It seemed as though Lena and Leon weren't up yet, either. She turned her head and looked out the window. "Well, that explains it," she mumbled to herself. "The sun's just barely starting to rise." She got up from the table and walked over to the window, her cup in hand. She continued to drink from it, and stood, watching the sunrise. She hadn't been able to enjoy a peaceful moment like this for a while. "It's so beautiful," she mused, taking another sip from her cup. "Huh…!?"

A shiver suddenly ran through her, and the whole room began to feel cold. "What in the world?" she thought. Her side started hurting, trying not to drop her cup, she grabbed her side with her free hand and leaned against the window. "Wh-What's… going… on…?" She looked up and gasped. Before she could say another word, she was snatched off the floor.

Graham and Japolo jumped awake from their sleep, as did Lena and Leon, when they heard Tiara's scream echo through the house. Without a second thought about what any of them were wearing, they all ran for the kitchen. They arrived in the kitchen, just in time to see Kagetsu holding an unconscious Tiara in his arms, and a glass of spilt milk on the floor. "Kagetsu!?" Lena shouted, being the first in the kitchen door.

"Tiara!" Graham and Japolo exclaimed, running up behind Lena.

Kagetsu merely glanced at them, and a dark wave of energy filled the room, pushing them all backwards and against the wall behind them. Lena was thrown into Leon, causing the force against the wall to be the hardest. "You've been given the chance to heal her," Kagetsu said coldly. "Now it's my turn!" Without another word, a portal opened behind Kagetsu and he and Tiara disappeared into it.

Graham tried to shake off the initial shock of the blow and lunge at Kagetsu, but he was too late, the portal closed before he could make it. "NO!" he shouted.

Lena sighed, as she struggled to pull herself off Leon. "Graham, calm down. You can't rush in after him blindly." She turned and tried to help Leon up. "Are you ok, Love?" Leon only nodded. "Good." She sighed and turned back to Graham. "Don't worry Graham, we'll help you get her back."


	11. Tiara And Graham's Reflections 11

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 11_

(Sorry for the Delay, folks, but you wouldn't believe the trouble I went through with this chapter. I had stopped writing this chapter because of the holidays, then went back to write it and almost finished the whole chapter in a single day. However, as I was saving it, the program illegal errored and I lost all of it. I managed to rewrite the first seven paragraphs, then decided to quit for a while, as I was no longer receiving reviews for the other chapters. I then had to wipe my computer and completely reformat it due to a Trojan Virus, loosing my Shamanic Princess pictures and music videos. Then, when I finally decided I knew how I wanted to end it, and should go back to working on it, it was close to time to go to Memphis for MFM, and we got hit with Katrina… However, I've received a review, recently, which has rekindled my interest in the story. Thanks, Skyelarsong, that's just what I needed. And Teefa, I haven't forgotten that you did review chapter 10, back when I posted it. Thanks for sticking with me for so long. Luckily, enough, I didn't loose my story during the system wipe, or even a review wouldn't have been enough to get me to start back on it. In the meantime, I've set up a website with stories my husband I have been writing for our own characters. I'm not sure if I should promote it here, or not, though, because a lot of it is strong adult content. So… Um, I guess just enjoy the rest of this one. If you ask for that URL, I'll send it, and Teefa, if you'd like, send me the URL for your site again, and I'll add it to my links. OH! And by the way. This chapter has become considerably shorter than I'd intended for it to be. If I'm going to start writing again, I can't give you too much right now, can I? )

Tiara woke up to find herself trapped inside a black sphere. "Wha…? What's going on…?" She gasped, sinking to her knees, holding her side, as she felt energy surge through her body. "Where am I? What's happening?" She looked up to see Kagetsu standing in front of her. "KAGETSU! What have you done to me?"

Kagetsu shook his head. "I've done nothing wrong, Tiara. Your wound wasn't healing with their magic. I'm the only one who can heal it. That energy ball wasn't meant for you, after all."

Tiara's eyes widened. "Just what did you plan to do to Graham…? You meant for this to worsen, no matter what was done to it, didn't you?"

Kagetsu sighed. "Why should I explain myself? You wouldn't understand. Tiara, you should have never got in the way."

Tiara looked away from him. "I couldn't let you… I couldn't let you hurt Graham again. After you sent him away, I realized just how much I really cared for him. Kagetsu, why couldn't you just have been happy for me?" Tiara looked up to see Kagetsu leaving the room. "Kagetsu…! Answer me!"

Kagetsu turned back to Tiara, a red glow in his eyes. Tiara gasped, as his eyes locked with hers. She passed out and fell to the ground. "I can't loose you to a mutt like that, Tiara. Just sleep for now, and everything will be fine…" With that, he turned and left the room.

Hours later, he returned. "This is a long shot," he said with a sigh. "Tiara, I truly do love you, and will do anything to keep you by my side." He removed the barrier that was holding the, still, unconscious 'princess'. "I can't fully erase memories you're unwilling to loose, but I can block them from your mind, and recreate new ones in their place." He put a hand to Tiara's forehead and closed his eyes. His arm and hand began to glow with a black aura. The aura began to sweep over Tiara, who began to moan in her sleep.

Tiara groaned and opened her eyes, as Kagetsu removed his hand from her forehead. Everything seemed a little fuzzy at first, but soon came into clear vision, as the aura faded from both of them. "Kagetsu?" she murmured, weakly, "What happened?"

Kagetsu smiled and pushed a gentle finger to her lips. "Shh… It's alright, Love. Everything's going to be ok, now. You passed out, after we left the guardian world, and you've been having a horrible nightmare."

Tiara groaned and sat up, rubbing her forehead. "I feel kind of funny. I… I don't remember what I've been dreaming, either?"

Kagetsu smiled and kissed her. "Perhaps it's best that you don't remember, Dearest, you were tossing and turning the whole time."

Tiara only blinked at him, trying to remember what it was that happened. "Why did I pass out?"

Kagetsu cleared his throat, he'd successfully implanted new memories into Tiara's head, but had forgotten to plant one that would explain where they are, now. "Remember? You and Lena got into an argument over something, just before we left. The stress between that and opening a new portal was a little too much to handle."

Tiara blushed, as often as she and Lena used to argue, this was a very believable answer. "We did, didn't we? Must have been some stupid little thing we argued over, too, I don't even remember it, anymore." She laughed. "But then again, with Lena, what else is new?"

Kagetsu smiled, certain that this time things would work out between the two of them. He kissed her, once more. "It's nothing for you to worry about, my dear. We're going to start all over somewhere else, remember?"

Tiara smiled and nodded. "That much, I do remember."

Kagetsu opened a small portal to another world. "Well then, my dear, let's go. Our castle is already waiting for us." He took her hand in his and they passed through the portal.

They came out, floating high above a medieval looking realm. The sky was gray and cloudy, and the only building for miles was a large towering stone castle. Tiara looked at the world below them and turned to Kagetsu curiously.

"Are you sure this is it, Kagetsu?" she asked. "It's so dreary. The place looks desolate. I know nobody would ever think to look for us here, but…?" She blinked at him confusedly.

Kagetsu chuckled. "It's just the atmosphere, Tiara. I assure you, the inside of the castle is much more inviting than the outside, and, we do have a town." He points to a road leading from the edge of the castle moat and down towards a small forest. "You just can't see it from here, it's on the other side of those trees. Now, come along, Dearest, the crowns are already waiting for us."

Tiara smiled and nodded, following Kagetsu to the castle. Kagetsu had used the power the Throne Of Yorde had given him to create this world from scratch. Anything he or Tiara wanted would be readily available whenever he called for it. However, he had other reasons for creating this world. He knew that if they had remained inside the void between worlds, Lena and the others could have easily found them. This way, their progress in finding the two of them would be slowed greatly, providing he kept Tiara from using any magic that would alert Japolo to her whereabouts.

They entered the castle, it seemed to be filled with guards. Kagetsu had done such a good job of disguising his shadow creatures that Tiara never even realized that she and Kagetsu were the only true humanoids. Kagetsu lead Tiara into the castle's throne room. There stood two thrones, each with a golden crown placed in the seat. Kagetsu took one of the crowns and placed it on his head, he then turned and put the other on Tiara's.

"From now on, my love, we'll be known as the king and queen of this world," he told her. "If there's anything you want, name it, and it will be yours."

Tiara smiled and kissed his cheek. "For the moment, I have all I want, right here," she said happily. Kagetsu smiled, wrapping his arms around her. As his hand touched her injured side, he cast a small energy dome around it, forcing away the pain and the bruise from her injury. With Tiara's attention turned to him, she never even felt a thing.


	12. Tiara And Graham's Reflections 12

_**Tiara and Graham's Reflection's**_

_Chapter 12_

Time passed slowly in the world Kagetsu had created for himself and Tiara. In any other realm, it may have been several weeks or even months since he'd brought Tiara here, but in this world, it felt as though it were only three days. Kagetsu found himself keeping Tiara under constant check to ensure that the memories he'd tried to hide from her didn't suddenly come flooding back. "Tiara, dearest," he thought to himself, "I hate that I had to do this to you, but it was the only way we could be together happily." He entered the dinning room, where Tiara was waiting for him. She was wearing the beautiful, long-flowing, white dress that she had worn during their date in the snow. Kagetsu smiled and kissed her cheek, sitting next to her. "I always thought that dress suited you," he mused.

Tiara blushed and giggled, "Thanks, I'm rather fond of it, myself. It's a shame I rarely ever had the chance to wear it."

One of Kagetsu's servant entities entered the room, and served them their meals. As soon as they'd begun eating, the servant was gone again, leaving them to talk amongst themselves. Outwardly, Tiara appeared happy, but inwardly, she couldn't help this nagging feeling that something wasn't right. She felt that something was missing, but she didn't quite know what. Finally, a small fragment of memory came to her, and she began to glance around the room. Kagetsu looked at her curiously. "Tiara? Is something wrong, love?" he asked.

"It's so quiet," Tiara said, her eyes still scanning the room. "I don't know why I didn't notice until now. We've been here for a few days, right, Kagetsu?" Kagetsu nodded. "Where is Japolo? It seems so weird not having her nagging at me about something."

"Japolo?" Kagetsu realized that he had neglected to seal off her memories of her furry partner, he'd only temporarily blocked them. "Damn," he thought, "If I don't do something about that, everything I've done might fall to pieces." He cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink. He sighed as he sat the goblet back on the table. "I'm sure she's around," he said, "She's probably out exploring her new surroundings." Tiara smiled and nodded, finding that an acceptable answer.

After the two of them finished eating, Kagetsu lead Tiara to another room. "I have to seal those memories of that ferrite quickly. Now's my only chance." He turned on a self playing piano and took Tiara's hand, as though he were ready to dance with her. As they began to dance, he pulled her closer to him. He placed a gentle hand on her cheek and smiled at her. "Tiara," he mumbled, "I'm sorry…" He moved his head to the top of her head. Tiara's eyes widened and she gasped in pain as the black aura once again began to surround the both of them.

Before Tiara could say anything, the spell began to push the memories of Japolo deep into her subconscious, along with all the other memories Kagetsu had already locked away. Tiara continued to groan in pain, as she began to feel weak. Her eyes became weak and shaky, and she passed out in his arms, as the spell created new memories in place of the old ones. Kagetsu moved his hand from her head and caught the now unconscious Tiara in his arms, her head resting on his chest. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Tiara, but this is the way things have to be." He gently picked her up and carried her back to her bedroom, laying her on the bed. Knowing it would be hours before she reawaked, he left her lying there, and tried to clear his mind.

Meanwhile

Lena, Leon, Graham, and Japolo had spent days moving from world to world looking for Tiara. Each world they entered had the same results, nobody could sense Tiara's presence, much less Kagetsu's. To make matters worse, teleporting the four of them on her own was beginning to weaken Lena's powers. However, this time, something felt different about the world they passed into.

"Now this is odd," Lena said, looking at the town they had appeared in. "I didn't realize there were any realms who's time line was left in the dark ages?"

"Never mind that," Leon began to point out, "Where are all the people? This town doesn't look like it was deserted, but there doesn't seem to be anyone here."

Lena nodded, "You're right, Leon."

Japolo shuddered, "This place is crawling with neutralizer power."

"Then this must be where they are," Graham said.

"Let's hope so," Lena said. "I'm as eager to get her back as you are, but I'm afraid I can't keep hopping worlds to look for her. My power isn't what it used to be."

"Funny," Japolo said. "Forgive me for seeming impertinent, Lena, but you shouldn't be loosing power. You've been allowed to rest between each world, and I myself haven't felt any power leave me since we left the guardian world?"

"Nor have I," Leon said. "Lena, had you said something, Japolo and I could have helped you open the portals."

Lena smiled and blushed, shaking her head. "I'm afraid it's nothing like that. My power's waning for another reason. I noticed it when I was trying to heal Tiara." She blushed and looked down at her feet, for a moment. This time, Leon blushed, somehow having a feeling he suddenly knew what was happening to Lena. "It… It's nothing to be concerned about for now. It seems like we've found the right world, so now all we have to do is find them. The portal back to our quiet little island will be easier to open, once we've got Tiara back."

The others nodded and they started to search through the town. It did, indeed, seem completely deserted, but Japolo began to sense Kagetsu's power more and more, the further into the town they went.

Kagetsu stood outside Tiara's bedroom. As he was about to go inside, one of his shadow creatures approached him, speaking to him in the ancient tongue of the Guardian World. Kagetsu's eyes widened. "What? They're HERE? Damn, I suppose it was inevitable, but at least I was able to slow them down." He sighed, throwing the door to Tiara's room open. He turned to the shadow creature. "Do whatever you can to slow them down even more. Impede their progress here, as much as possible!"

The shadow creature left to confront Lena and the others. Kagetsu sighed and walked into Tiara's room. He placed his hand on the still sleeping Tiara's forehead. "I'm sorry, Tiara, but it appears there's been a change in plans."

Lena and Leon split up from Graham and Japolo, each group deciding to cover the town from one end to the other and meeting back at the center. Leon began feeling uneasy about Lena's own well-being. "Lena…? Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Lena nodded. "I'm fine, Leon."

Leon sighed, his eyes shifting curiously in the direction of his princess. She was always so headstrong like that. "You said your powers were waning for another reason?" He blushed and looked down at the ground. "Y-You're not…?"

Lena blushed and giggled, "Somehow, I thought you'd figure it out, Leon."

Leon turned to face her, throwing his hands to her shoulders. "Why didn't you say so before hand?"

"Leon," Lena insisted, "I'm FINE!" She smiled and kissed him. "It was enough that we were all trying to take care of things until Tiara got better. I couldn't have you bothering over me, as well," she explained. "It's only temporary, after all."

Leon sighed and nodded, "I suppose so, but, I still wish you'd said something sooner."

"It's sweet of you to worry, Leon," Lena said, "But I promise, nothing's going to happen."

On The Other Side Of Town

"I must admit," Japolo said, "I'm impressed at how fast you are, Graham. Even I'm having trouble keeping up. Is that a side effect of when Tiara summoned you, or were you always this fast in your normal form?"

Graham shook his head. "I honestly don't know for certain. The way everyone acted when Kagetsu sent me back, however, I don't think I was." Graham and Japolo both slid to an abrupt halt, as they reached the walls around the village. Graham groaned and looked back at the ferret. "There's nothing here. Are you sure you're sensing something?"

Japolo looked up at Graham, as though she felt insulted. "I'm certain of it! I can feel the power of a neutralizer all around us. This world shouldn't even exist. It's nothing more than one big stasis field. With all those powers you did keep once returning to your true form, I'm surprised you don't sense it, yourself."

Graham groaned and mumbled, "Damnedable rodent, even under a truce… Are you always this annoying?"

Japolo's ears perked up and she glanced back at Graham. "Hmm…? What was that?"

Graham shook his head. "Nothing, just keep in mind this isn't a good time to start anything with me, got it?"

Japolo nodded. "Right, right…" She sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't know how I ended up so free willed. You're just as worried about her as we are, after all. If you are still able to detect much, those senses are probably shrouded with your concern. I suppose I wasn't thinking…"

Graham looked around uneasily. "Shh…"

Japolo turned her nose up in the air. "I was just trying to apologize."

Graham looked down at Japolo. "No. Just… Listen."

Japolo fell silent and perked her ears. The air around them had become very still for a moment. "We've been lead into an ambush, haven't we?"

Graham nodded. "I'm afraid so. Seems you were right after all, Japolo." Out of nowhere, Japolo and Graham found themselves surrounded by Kagetsu's shadow creatures. They struck out together and quickly took down one of the shadow creatures, landing outside the circle, posed, and ready to fight. The shadow creatures advanced upon them, and a battle ensued.

Meanwhile, Lena and Leon were beginning to realize that if they wanted to find Tiara and Kagetsu, they were going to have to search beyond the village. As they headed back to the center of the town, a shadow creature snuck up behind them, and grabbed Lena. Taken completely by surprise, Lena let out a shriek and tried to struggle away from the shadow creature. Leon took the creature out easily, but several more took it's place. Before long, the whole town seemed to be crawling with Kagetsu's shadow creatures and both parties began clearing their way through them, cutting a path back to the center.

"Well," Lena huffed, nearly breathless, "I suppose Japolo was right. This whole world is an illusion created by the stasis field of a neutralizer."

Leon nodded in agreement, "And, currently, there's only one neutralizer who would send so many shadow creatures to attack us."

Lena took out another shadow creature that was slipping up behind Leon. "Take out as many as possible, but try to leave at least one capable of retreating so we can follow it."

"I'll do my best, Lena," Leon assured her, "But you might want to tell that to Graham and Japolo when they get here."

"Speak of the devil," Lena said, taking out another shadow creature, bashing it in the face with her flute. "I think I see them coming, now."

Japolo and Graham quickly joined Lena and Leon, making it easier for them to take out the rest of the shadow creatures. Just as Lena had hoped, however, one shadow creature was left with enough strength to retreat back to the castle.

Lena and the others followed the shadow creature, but kept a safe distance behind it, partially because they didn't want it to think they were close enough that it would have to stray from it's destination, but also because they were winded from fighting.

The moment they emerged from the forest, they could see the castle towering over them. "A castle," Lena said, blinking at the sight before them. "WHY am I not surprised?"

"Where better to keep a princess prisoner," Leon sighed.

"Japolo, is that…?" Graham started to ask.

Japolo nodded, "They're bound to be in there. The source of this world's stasis field is coming from within that castle."

Graham nodded. "That's all I need to know." He turned his attention towards the castle. "Kagetsu," he thought, to himself, "This time we end this…"


	13. Tiara And Graham's Reflections 12A Note

Tiara And Graham's Reflections

Note from the Author:

It's been ages since I've posted, and I'm really, REALLY sorry to keep all of you readers out there waiting for the ending. I'm not trying to look for sympathy or bring anyone down when I explain what's kept me away for so long, but due to all your encouraging comments and awesomeness, I think I'm a bit obligated to let you all know what's been going on to keep me away from this story. For starters, I had the final chapter written, and was almost through with it back when I was still regularly updating, but there was a power outage and even though I thought I had saved most of my progress, the entire thing was lost. It made me mad and was a major bummer, so I didn't go back to it for a while, but always intended to return. In the years since then, however, I have gone through three different computers, with my husband upgrading his, I always got his other one, and now we've got 3-4 computers worth of memory sitting on one computer and we're still sorting throgh it all. We're also in the area that was hit by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. On top of that, we lost my mother back in 2007, and my mother-in-law in 2010, as well as three of my family members in a row back in February of 2011. So, naturally, this has kept me away from writting fan-fictions. I even had a Sailor Moon fan-fiction I was working on for an online friend that gave a look at the Youma's side of things following the story line for the first season, which has come to a hault as well due to the transfering of files to the new computer. As it is, I'm writting this out on my husband's computer, because mine's about to go into the shop due to an issue with the screen being able to recognize that it's on. Also, my husband has just started a new job back at the end of September. Again, I'm not trying to bring anyone down, just letting you know where I've dissappeared to in all this time. But, as I said, my husband has a new job, so things are getting better around here, and I have not completely given up on writting. He and I still write some stories together over Yahoo Messenger-though we don't really deal in fan-fictions any more, and I've been working on a couple of Origional Character stories of my own. I would love to go back, re-read everything I've written in this particular fiction, re-watch the Anime, and try to come back and finish this one, one day as it has been one of my favorite fan-fictions to work on, especially since it's for an Anime that's not as well known as some of my other subject material, but I can't make any promises on when or if that will ever come to fruition.

In the meantime, thank you, all for your comments in the past, I'm glad you all have enjoyed this story for as long as I have kept it going. Stay awesome. 


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